Decode
by cut3inferno
Summary: Silverstream and Hotstreak are on opposing factions. Silverstream is a vicious, mighty Decepticon; Hotstreak a noble, kind Autobot. However, the violent war has drastic effects on their lives and gives them an unlikely connection.
1. The Beginning of War

_**This is a story written by my boyfriend and I. We have worked very hard on this story so far, and we're looking forward to continuing it. We hope you all like it and we hope to get many reviews that will help us continue to make our** **work better. **_

It was getting close to the eve of the War for Cybertron. The planet is gleaming with all of its glory. Cybetronians had yet to fear the name Megatron. It was dull work but it had to be done. Mining for Energon was a necessity, for all cybetronians ran off of Energon. It was dangerous work however, because too much Energon will send a cybertronian offline. This was work the three friends had control over. It was almost second nature to them. Inside the metallic, glistening quarry the sounds of metal hitting and scraping against more metal is easily audible. A large cybertronian lifted his pick axe up high into the air before bringing it back down to the metallic surface of Cybertron's earth. The axe pierced ore as sparks flew into his face. He did not flinch at all as the sparks flew into his optic lenses.

Two nearby cybertronians were hard at work right beside him. "Hey Avalanche," one of the cybertronians called out, "You ever think we'll run out of Energon?" he asked. The cybertronian named Avalanche stopped mining as he looked up into Cybertron's atmosphere. "I don't know... Why do you ask?" he replied. The transformer dropped his axe as he rearranged his body parts to transform into a sleek, red, cybertronian car. He cruised over to Avalanche and changed back to his robot form. He looked up at Avalanche before speaking, "I'm just trying to estimate how much time we have until we're out of a job." he smiled. Avalanche bellowed out a mighty chuckle as his metal clanked against itself. "It's just like you, Hotstreak, to think about currency over something important. I'm pretty sure if we ran out of Energon there wouldn't be much work to be done since we'd all be going offline and joining the Allspark." Avalanche remarked.

The last transformer walked over to the two. "Well looks like we've mined this terminal clean of all of its sources." he stretched as Hotstreak and Avalanche nodded with agreement. Avalanche carried the rest of the Energon and carefully placed the Energon cubes into their mining cart. Avalanche transformed into an white rig as he attached himself to the cart; Hotstreak also transformed and attached himself to the left over cart. Hotstreak drove over to the last untransformed cybertronian. "C'mon Hardwire let's move it or lose it." Hotstreak teased. Hardwire looked up from his daze in surprise. "Yeah yeah I'm coming... I was just picking up some weird signals." Hardwire said while switching his stare from Hotstreak to his gadget. Hardwire transformed into a violet blue jet and took to the skies.

Off in the distance a menacing transformer is watching the trio as they drove away. "Soundwave make sure you gather plenty of Energon! We'll need it for my new space station once I finally gather and harness the dark Energon!" a voice boomed inside the headset of the transformer. "Soundwave acknowledges. Engaging targets," the transformer replied. Soundwave released his three companions Rumble, Laserbeak, and Ravage. The three decepticons were in pursuit of the three cybertronians. Hardwire, intently watching his scanners, saw three beeps closing the distance between him and his friends. Before Hardwire could warn the others he was shot repeatedly by Laserbeak. He crashed to the ground. Hotstreak and Avalanched transformed and turned around. "What's going on?" Avalanche shouted. Before either of the transformers could think they were assaulted by Soundwave and his partners. The cybertronians were outgunned and outmatched and the Energon was snatched away by the superior might of Soundwave and his minions. The cybertronians lay unconscious on the ground as the decepticons flew away. Moments later two vehicles approached the cybertronians. "Optimus... These bots have yet to go offline..." said one of the figures. "Then let's revive them Ratchet." said the one called Optimus.


	2. Silverstream

She could feel the tension in the air; something was beginning, she could feel it in her spark. She stood at the top of a cliff, looking down upon her home and all its inhabitants. She was a very different type of femme. She was aggressive and relentless and had a longing for power. She never let anyone get the best of her, revenge was her forte. Her sleek form allowed her to glide through the air with ease. She was fast, possibly the fastest seeker out there. Her purple and silver armor gleamed in the sunlight, her beauty was unparalleled.

She could sense things in the air, being the excellent seeker that she was. Her sharp audio sensors picked up the sound of clashing metal and gun shots. She pondered her next move, but being that she was a curious creature, she quickly transformed and took off in the direction of the commotion. She arrived shortly, seeing three Energon miners being attacked by none other than Soundwave. That quickly caught her attention and she transformed to her robot form, standing near the Energon mine, but just out of sight from the others. All of her sensors were keen and she quickly recognized two of the bots: Avalanche and Hardwire. The third was a mystery to her. She watched Soundwave take all three of them down without much struggle and steal the Energon cubes from them. She stepped out, "What are you doing Soundwave?" she asked. He looked at her, "Negative, Silverstream, cannot release that information." She frowned, clearly disappointed that her friend did not satisfy her curiosity. "Come on." She pleaded, "Negative." He replied,"Must report back. Departure immanent. Silverstream should also depart. Unknowns approaching." He said taking off. She looked at the three bots lying on the ground unconscious. She scoffed and walked over to the one bot she did not recognize. She examined his armor; the bright colors of red, yellow and orange completely contrasting her own. "Pathetic." She said to herself.

She barely had time to finish her short examination of him before she heard the approaching bots Soundwave had warned her about. She frowned yet again before transforming and taking off into the Cybertronian skies. It was then she heard Soundwave's voice contacting her, "Requesting Silverstream's presence, sending coordinates." A location popped up on her internal screen. "I'll be there soon" She said turning and heading in the direction Soundwave had indicated. She quickly arrived at a clearing, but instantly realized Soundwave was not the only one there. She transformed in front of the two bots. The one laughed menacingly. "You were quite correct, Soundwave, she is indeed an interesting subject." She narrowed her eyes at the large bot in front of her. "I have a proposition for you, my dear. Something that, if you chose to accept, will lead you to power and glory." She looked upon him curiously, "And what would that be?" She asked. He smiled maliciously, "Join me as one of my Decepticon soldiers, and I assure you, we will bring Cybertron to order." She looked at Soundwave, "Are you a Decepticon now Soundwave?" She asked, "Affirmative." He replied. "I am Megatron, leader of the Decepticons. Now do not keep me waiting, will you join me?" She did not like being talked down to, but the cause he was proposing intrigued her, "I will" she stated. He laughed menacingly, "Excellent," he hissed, leading herself and Soundwave off into the distance.


	3. Friends & Foes

Optimus rolls into the dimly lit room as he transforms into his tall stature. He walks over to Ratchet who is looking over the weak and wounded. The trio from the mines is sitting in a nearby corner. "We just lost all of our hard day's work to some funny talking bot." Avalanche sighed. Hardwire is poking and prodding with the nearby computers with amazement. "These 'Autobots' have amazing technology. I could learn a lot if I join these freedom fighters." Hardwire thought to himself. The moans and groans from the other Cybertronians did not seem bother the trio. They did not wince or turn away from bots who had their bare circuits showing or even if a bot was covered in Energon fluid. The mines hardened them. Even though they were in the beginning of a war, the mines have already hardened these tough bots. Hotstreak was sitting next to Avalanche quietly. Avalanche looked at Hardwire as he was tweaking with the technology and then switched his optics back over to Hotstreak. "What's got you down little buddy?" Avalanche asked. Hotstreak's optic lenses darted back and forth before he looked up at Avalanche and responded, "We just got ran up on by some random bot. He just smacked us down and took our Energon. That's our bread! We can't let bots just take our livelihood." Avalanche frowned and started to speak before being interrupted. The tall red and blue Cybertronian stood proudly in front of the trio. "The mining areas are no longer safe for you. I'm sorry but we're going to have to place you in one of our many safe havens." Optimus said. Hotstreak shook his head as Avalanche stood up optic to optic to Optimus. "We aren't the kind of bots to just run away. We were attacked by these Decepticons. I don't know about you guys but I want to mean something. I want to help you Autobots save Cybertron from these lunatics." Avalanche preached. "Well you don't have to count me out because I'm in. I'll join the Autobots too. What about you Hardwire?" Hotstreak asked. Hardwire turned his attention from the gadgets over to Hotstreak. "Negative, I'm going back home. This gives me the perfect opportunity to progress in my studies. However, if you have need of me you know where I reside." With that being said, Hardwire transformed into a jet and flew off. Optimus looked at the two soon to be Autobots. "Your cause is noble, but do not be fooled for the Decepticons will do anything to win this war. Your lives are in danger but your service will be greatly appreciated." Optimus took the two bots by the shoulders. He started to install the Autobot signature into the two. Their Energon started to turn red as the Autobot insignia became engraved onto their body parts.

Months passed and the two new Autobots were trained vigorously in a short time. Their work in the mines, which had made them hard and sturdy, paid off. Avalanche fought side by side with Optimus and Ironhide winning many battles. After a few battles had been lost Sentinel Prime ordered the Autobots to fall back. Avalanche and Hotstreak where split up. Avalanche left with Ironhide, Optimus, and Ratchet. Hotstreak tagged alongside Arcee and Jazz. At their new base Hotstreak continued using the training simulations to hone his skills. It had only been a few weeks at the new post. The Autobots seemed to have some downtime because the Decepticons had moved their forces into a different quadrant. "I wonder what those Decepticons are up to." Jazz thought out loud. Arcee walked over to Jazz standing higher in stature than he. She looked down and shrugged, "Who cares this gives us time to stock up on ammo and Energon, besides if things go smoothly this war will be won in another few months. I hear Megatron is getting desperate." Jazz raised his visor before speaking, "Megatron always seems desperate. I mean, listen to the bot. His default volume is stuck on loud. Subtlety and being quiet isn't on his hardware." Arcee and Jazz shared a chuckle. Hotstreak was listening to the two talk and he could hear the concern in their voices. They joked around a lot but he could hear it was all just an attempt to try and forget that on any day either of them could die. Hotstreak was used to the feeling. The Energon mines are dangerous. Any bot working in the mines is not allowed to carry anything that could be flammable as too much Energon in one place is highly explosive and the only way to mine Energon is by prospecting it. The metal pick against the metallic ground causes sparks that could easily ignite and explode the Energon if one was not careful enough. The other Autobots found Hotstreak's calmness eerie yet reassuring. Death did not faze him anymore. Jazz and Arcee were used to ending the life cycles of many Cybertronians but the war was getting to them. Their accuracy dropped during live combat and any ambient clanking noise caused them to act defensively.

Nearby, a sleek, blue cybertronian car is approaching the Autobot base, and fast. An Autobot sitting atop a watch tower notices the car and yells to other nearby Autobots. They react instantly and start opening the gates as the car rushes in. It drives through the compound and heads towards the area Jazz, Arcee, and Hotstreak reside. The car transforms into a femme bot and runs towards Arcee. Arcee and Jazz turn around and stand up as the femme approaches them. "What's the news Coldspell?" Jazz asks. "Megatron! We found out what Megatron is up to. He has taken an army up into Cybertron's orbit and is heading for the orbital research station! He is trying to get to the dark Energon!" Coldspell spewed. "That's insane! What is he planning?" Arcee cried. "I don't know but it's too late for us to chase after him. We'll just have to hope that Starscream can keep the Dark Energon protected or that the Energon itself will take care of Megatron." Coldspell informed. Jazz and Arcee locked optics and turned back to Coldspell. "Well what about the Decepticon lieutenants?" Jazz pondered. "Soundwave, Barricade, and Brawl left with Megatron." Coldspell started. "So that only leaves the dumb and stupid." Arcee said with confidence. Coldspell shook her head, "No, Shockwave is commanding the forces on Cybertron while Megatron is away." "Shockwave? That bot is bad news." Jazz sighed. "Thank you for the information Coldspell, you are relieved." Arcee commanded. Jazz and Arcee immediately began planning battle tactics and defensive measures. Hotstreak was still listening in. "Coldspell? It can't be." he said to himself. He watched as Coldspell left the room and he quietly started to follow her. His optics were trying to recognize the femme. "Doesn't quite look like her. I'll have to see anyway." With that said Hotstreak ran over to Coldspell. "Hey, excuse me!" He shouted. Coldspell turned around, now seeming exhausted. She looked at Hotstreak as he came running towards her and her optics lit up at the site of him. "Hotstreak?" she asked. Hotstreak didn't respond as he knew now that this was in fact his twin sister. "Coldspell what the slag are you doing here?" he asked somewhat happy to see her. "I've joined the Autobots. I'm a messenger, what are you doing here?" she asked. Hotstreak's parts started shifting with excitement. "I've joined the Autobots as well. I'm a scout." he answered proudly. They examined each other and the scrapes and cuts on Hotstreak's body were nothing new for Coldspell's optics. His fading color was another story. Hotstreak looked on as the once flawless surface of Coldspell's body was ruined by burns and craters. "You look like a mess Coldspell." Hotstreak said while lowering his sound output to a whisper. "…..Thanks. It's war and I'm a big bot now. Besides I am the oldest I should be worrying about you." Coldspell smiled. "You've been worrying about me ever since we were small sparklings." The two siblings laughed at each other. Coldspell, still smiling, hugged Hotstreak. "So I'm the only messenger here for now, which means I'm going to be staying here for awhile. We should catch up." Coldspell suggested. "Yeah that sounds great." Hotstreak agreed.

Coldspell and Hotstreak shared stories and even trained together. Hotstreak, thinking it would be a good idea for Coldspell to learn how to defend herself if the time needed, taught Coldspell the art of combat. In return Coldspell helped Hotstreak with his driving ability. After a few days another messenger arrived. He was small and yellow but brave and fierce. He was very energetic for a small bot. His name was Bumblebee. After delivering his message he quickly became friends with the twins. The three of them were nearly inseparable. It was a cold and rainy day on Cybertron. The three friends were having a competitive race around the camp; like always the races were close. Coldspell had an early lead when all of a sudden the alarms went off. Autobots poured out of their resting areas and took their positions. "THE DECEPTICONS ARE HERE!" an Autobot shouted. Coldspell quickly transformed and Bumblebee and Hotstreak soon followed. "Decepticons, I'll handle this!" Bumblebee shouted. Before Coldspell or Hotstreak could protest Bumblebee darted off into battle. A Decepticon warship can be seen flying overhead. Decepticons came pouring out and crashing to the ground below. "Coldspell go inside!" Hotstreak ordered. "I'm not leaving you!" Coldspell protested. Before Hotstreak could retort a blast exploded the ground next to them sending them flying. They looked up to see where it had come from and Shockwave was looking down at them from the warship. His single optic blinked slowly as his stare sent chills down their circuits. The red glow pierced through the smoke and rain. He waved his hand and more Decepticons poured out destroying and battling the nearby Autobots. A figure appeared next to Shockwave's. Hotstreak's spark flickered once he realized he knew the figure. Hardwire was standing right alongside Shockwave. "Dispose of these Autobots, Hardwire." Shockwave commanded. Hardwire nodded and descended from the warship landing in front of Coldspell and Hotstreak. "It's good to see you again Hotstreak." Hardwire smirked.


	4. Learning a Lesson

The stunning silver mech follows diligently after her new leader. "When we arrive back at our base, I shall officially join you to the Decepticon cause." He says motioning to the symbol on his chest. She looks at it, impressed by the stunning shade of purple. She smirks viciously; imagining the power she would feel coursing through her as she brought destruction to her enemies. She was not one to be trifled with, and she waited for the moment when she could reveal her powers. Soundwave walks silently next to her. Years of silent friendship had allowed her to pick up on his faint emotions. She could tell her decision to join him and the decepticons greatly pleased him. She glances at him, wondering what he had done to those three bots and for what reason. His power had always intrigued her. The two friends had a silent rivalry. However, Soundwave always ended up slightly ahead. His lack of emotions leads him to slightly greater power. Silverstream's short temper often caused her to lose sight of her true goals.

It was many cycles before the trio arrived at the base, and as soon as they entered, Silverstream was bombarded by eager stares. A femme was very rare, especially one who would join an army of males. She stands tall, refusing to let such mechs steal her dignity. Her pride was her biggest trait. She listens to the excited murmurs of the males. "A femme?" questioned one; "I bet I can get her in my berth" mentioned another. She scoffs to herself. Megatron seems to ignore the insolent whispers of his soldiers and continues down the hall. Soundwave has positioned himself behind his friend, perhaps as an act of protection. Though he was cold and harsh with all others, he was gentle with her; just as he was with his creations. He treats her with the same tenderness, if it could be called that. Megatron leads her to a main room, "Now…" He hisses, turning to her. She is caught off guard as he slams her against a nearby wall, a grunt of pain leaving her vocalizer. He has a hand placed on each of her wings. "Now, you shall become a member of the Decepticon army. Should you fail to listen to my demands, I will not hesitate to take you offline." She nods with no fear in her eyes. He smirks viciously, digging his claws into her wings. She feels a violent stinging that slowly engulfs her whole body. However, her pride would not let her show her pain to her new leader. After a few cycles he removes his claws from her body, revealing two glowing purple insignias, one on each wing. "Now bow before you're new Master." He hisses as she bows, "All hail Lord Megatron!" She states proudly, smirking violently.

Megatron orders Soundwave to take Silverstream to a chamber to call her own. They exit, returning back to the room full of ravenous mechs. "Hey beautiful!" Shouted an unknown voice, she hisses, causing some of the mechs closer to her to back away. It was then, an arrogant fool approached her, "What a fine femme," He coos, "Why don't you come with me and we can make a spark bond." She stops and looks at him, "Just who do you think you are?" She snarls. He laughs, "I'm Breakdown, remember it, you'll be screaming it later." He smiles. She narrows her eyes at him. "Warning Breakdown, serious threat immanent," Soundwave states. He ignores the stoic mech, continuing his assault on Silverstream, "Come on, unless you don't think you can handle a bot like me." "You are making a very dire decision, Breakdown." She states. He laughs again, reaching a hand out to touch her smooth, glistening armor. She growls, grabbing his arm and throwing him into a nearby wall. Silence filled the hall as the other bots watched in interest. None of them had ever seen a femme step to a male bot. He pulls himself off the ground, rage building in his systems, "Do something." She taunts, He growls charging at her. In an instant she pulls out her plasma cannon and shoots him in the shoulder, sending him back into the wall, leaving a large crack. Such violence was pleasing her, excitement running through her circuits as she saw Breakdown's Energon leaking from his body. Her laugh sent chills though many of the mechs watching the battle. Not only had they never seen a femme attack a bot, they had never seen one so excited by violence and pain. Her optics shone with happiness as Breakdown slowly pulled himself up. "Want some more?" She asks viciously, "What were you saying about me not being able to handle you? I think it's you that cannot handle me." She states, receiving some laughter from the crowd of bots around the two of them. "You filthy little femme." He hissed, holding his shoulder. She glares at him, "You should learn some respect. And some fighting skills too, you pathetic creature," she says, "Unless you want me to rip your spark from your body." Breakdown made a motion towards her, only to be intercepted by Soundwave. The emotionless bot stood between the two, "Continuing is illogical. Defeat is imminent" He states, "Silverstream superior, Breakdown inferior." Breakdown snarls, infuriated by Soundwave's interference and his defeat by the hands of a mere femme. He gives Silverstream one last glare before transforming and speeding out of the base. "Anyone else care to make a comment?" She asks, looking at the crowd around her. They quickly dissipated, scurrying off in different directions. Soundwave resumes his order of leading Silverstream to her room.

She sits alone her new room, examining the bland walls of her home. Soundwave had been called away on a mission with Megatron. She thought of checking out the base, but decided to remain in her room. She was ready for recharge, her system's sharpness beginning to fade. She laid down on her berth, shutting her optics and falling in to recharge.


	5. Betrayal

The rain thickened as the thunder shook the earth below. Hardwire, an old friend, was standing over Hotstreak and Coldspell. "What are you doing Hardwire? It's me, Hotstreak!" Hardwire paused for a few cycles before responding, "Hotstreak, it does not have to end this way. You could join the Decepticons and help bring Cybertron to its intended glory. The Autobots are the ones holding Cybertron back." Hotstreak was not too surprised to see that Hardwire had joined the Decepticons but he did feel betrayed. "Hardwire are you being serious right now? I'm your friend! Our union is much older than this war." Hotstreak could feel his circuits burning with anger. He felt he should not have to remind Hardwire of their friendship. Hardwire stood standing as if he were still trying to process how he should handle the situation. Hardwire started to raise his gun but was shot in the chest and he flew backwards crashing violently against the ground. "He's a Decepticon now and that is how we will treat him. Unless he decides to switch sides he is our enemy now." Coldspell said while pumping out a shell from her EMP Shotgun. Hardwire was struggling to get up. He looked up at Hotstreak as if he were expecting him to say something. Coldspell transformed and quickly joined the battle. Hotstreak ran over to Hardwire, who was surprisingly still functioning, and reached out a hand to him. Hardwire took his hand. Hotstreak was not about to let a war get in between a lifelong bond. Although Coldspell had a valid point, he could not betray his friendship even if Hardwire was going to. He thought about what would have happened if Coldspell had joined the Decepticons. It just wasn't in her systems but if she had, Hotstreak would not be able to raise arms against her and he would not raise arms against Hardwire. "Come on Hardwire I'll get you some treatment." Hotstreak said while carrying a badly damaged Hardwire. "Why are you helping me?" Hardwire vocalized weakly. "Don't ask me a stupid question like that. I'm your friend stupid. We're practically brothers; I can't leave you out to die." Hotstreak paused for a moment before continuing, "Besides, I refuse to let anything stand in the way of our friendship. It takes random bots to make an army but only a special bot can create a friendship. Look I don't know what the Decepticons told you but if you want to side with them that's fine by me. Just don't try that again. I'm your friend and I will never be your enemy." Hardwire did not respond as he felt his spark fading.

Shockwave descended from the warship. He landed on top of, and ended the functions of an unfortunate Autobot. Shockwave began his assault on the Autobot base damaging and destroying any Autobot in sight. He continued to nonchalantly attack the Autobots as he called in for support, "Silverstream, Laserbeak, and Ravage report to coordinates Thirty-point-four and eight-point-six immediately." Soon after a jet transformed and landed at Shockwave's side along with a mechanical bird and a mechanical feline. "What is your command Shockwave?" the jet called Silverstream asked. Shockwave stopped firing his weapon and turned to the three. "Silverstream I need you to find Hardwire and recover the Autobot's rations and supplies. Laserbeak and Ravage will cover you." Shockwave instructed, "As you command Shockwave." Silverstream nodded and transformed.

Hotstreak was tending to the damage done to Hardwire using an Energon repair ray. Hardwire's wound was quickly repairing itself. Hardwire turned his head over to Hotstreak. He could see the war had done more damage on his body than the mines had. Hotstreak's body was burned and dented but his optics did not dim since the last he saw him. He also noted that his foolish morals had not changed. Hardwire knew it was war and the war would decide the fate of Cybertron. Their friendship would have to wait. Hotstreak was rambling about something but Hardwire's audio receptors were tuned in elsewhere. "Hardwire this is Silverstream do you read me? Come in Hardwire!" a voice called. It must have been Silverstream because it sounded like an impatient femme.

Hardwire was a technological genius and he spent most of his time as a Decepticon repairing and inventing machinery for the war. Shockwave admired Hardwire's technological prowess and convinced him to join their cause. Hardwire was out flying looking for scraps for one of his many inventions. He ran into some scavenging Decepticons and landed near them. He used a grenade he invented to scramble their sensors as he quickly swiped away their resources. Shockwave was nearby and witnessed the incident. He chased Hardwire down and shot him out of the skies. He landed near Hardwire with a proposition. He informed Hardwire that the Autobots were holding the Decepticons back from bringing Cybertron to its full technological glory. He continued to inform him of the power that Dark Energon would bring to the Cybertronians. Hardwire agreed to join the Decepticons even though his second option was termination by the hands of Shockwave. Hardwire still strongly believed in the Decepticons cause.

Hardwire waited for Hotstreak to continue healing him while he responded to Silverstream. Using one of his inventions he used his brainwaves and converted them to radio waves to speak to Silverstream. "This is Hardwire. I am sending you the coordinates to my location. I implore you to hurry up and get here." Hardwire's voice came inside Silverstream's audio. "Who do you think you are talking to like that Hardwire? You better be careful because if the Autobots do not blast you apart I will." she threatened. "I do not have time for your clearly empty threats Silverstream. Do as I say." Hardwire shot back. "I'll show you empty you rusting excuse for a bot!" Silverstream was furious. Hardwire was back to being functional and he stood up to face Hotsreak. "Hotstreak I do appreciate the help. I am willing to offer you the chance to be a Decepticon for allowing me to continue my functions." Hardwire smirked at Hotstreak. "No I won't side with the Decepticons and I am not changing my mind." Hotstreak said firmly, "Now if we're done here I'm gonna have to ask you to please leave. This is a war and it is insubordination for harboring a Decepticon." Hardwire felt disappointment within his systems. Hotstreak was in fact his best friend, alongside Avalanche, and he was going to regret what was to happen next. "Then I'm afraid it is too late." Hardwire said shaking his head. Silverstream came flying into the medic room. She quickly transformed and opened fire on Hotstreak. Hotstreak dodged out of the way behind a thick short wall. "That slagging Hardwire! I should have known he would do this, so much for staying friends on the battlefield." Hotstreak cursed to himself.

Hotstreak ran deeper into the medical building and in mid run he transformed into his car mode. The wheels touched the ground and he sped off as fast as he could. Silverstream turned to Hardwire, "I think it's time for a checkup, Hardwire. I'm afraid you came down with the early termination flu." Silverstream said while reloading her gun. She turned around to see an already transformed Hardwire. "We do not have time for your silly games, Silverstream. Stop being a common grunt and do as you were ordered! I have an Autobot to terminate." Hardwire barked while flying back outside. Silverstream snarled and proceeded to lay fire unto Hardwire. "Also work on your aim." Hardwire antagonized.

Hotstreak drove through the building at top speed. His training with Coldspell and Bumblebee was showing its use. He was driving down a hall at top speed when he noticed a jet tailing him outside the windows. The jet opened fire shattering the windows. "Dammit Hardwire! Give me a break!" Hotstreak shouted. As the chase continued Hotstreak could hear loud clanking noise approaching him. Ravage appeared behind a corner and joined in on the chase. Hardwire and Ravage opened fire onto Hotstreak. Hotstreak continued to evade the assault but was finding it extremely difficult to keep up his maneuvers. "This can't go on for much longer." To Hotstreak's dismay Laserbeak joined in. "Three Decepticons just to take me offline? I'm flattered Hardwire." Hotstreak shouted. "You still have to chance to join us Hotstreak. It is not too late." Hardwire reminded. "I'm gonna pass on that." Hotstreak quickly replied. Ravage turned on his boosters and was right on Hotstreak's trail. Ravage leaped onto Hotstreak's back biting and digging into Hotstreak's back. The pain pierced through Hotstreak's circuits but it didn't seem to faze him. Hotstreak transformed with Ravage still on his back. In one quick motion he grabbed the small mechanical feline and put his sword through his mid section. Laserbeak opened fire once Ravage and Hotstreak were separated enough. A quickly aimed shot from Hotstreak put Laserbeak down, "Now just one more." Hotstreak said while aiming at Hardwire. Hardwire transformed and stood hovering outside the window. Hardwire snickered to himself. "You finally get it don't you Hotstreak. This is war. This is what happens in war. Friends become enemies and enemies become allies. If you're going to raise your weapon you had better have the intent to use it." Hardwire beckoned Hotstreak by opening up his arms as if to dare him to shoot. As much as Hotstreak wanted to pull the trigger he couldn't. Hotstreak knew that after this war their friendship could resume. If Hardwire had intentions to terminate him he would have done so while he was repairing him. "You are pathetic Hotstreak." Hardwire spat. Hardwire was trying to get Hotstreak to come to terms with the war. Hardwire had already decided if he were to die in war, it would have to be by Avalanche or Hotstreak's actions. "Fine then, allow me." Hardwire said aiming his null ray at Hotstreak's right leg. "Oh no you don't you decepti-creep." A voice said. Hardwire's chest was met by two blasts that knocked him back. Hardwire grimaced and fled in his jet mode. Bumblebee did not stop to chat with Hotstreak as the base was still under attack. Hotstreak watched as Bumblebee continued on fighting. Hotstreak stood there watching realizing that he could do no harm to Hardwire and it that it almost cost him his life. "I don't think I'm cut out for this war." He said softly. "I don't think so either." A voice said. Hotstreak turned around and was looking down the barrel of a shotgun. Before Silverstream could pull the trigger Hotstreak kicked her leg from under her causing her to miss only to graze his left shoulder. From outside Rumble was pounding the ground away as Breakdown had gathered the last of the Autobot supplies. The building was collapsing in on itself from Rumble's ground splitting quake. Hotstreak opened fire onto Silverstreak but her quick movements allowed her to kick Hotstreak out of the window. Hotstreak landed hard on his back. As his optics came back online he saw the building falling in on itself and Silverstream flying off with Ravage and Laserbeak. As much as he willed, his optics still went offline again.


	6. Revenge

The power she felt from the war was running through her circuits. She felt alive, excitement rushing through her. She smiles deviously as she steals much of the Autobot's supplies right from under them. She looks at the offlined bodies of a few unfortunate Autobots and her vicious smile grows. She takes a moment to look back at her memory processors, remembering how she had barged in here, taking them down; Energon flying from their bodies as she assaulted them, their pleas for her to leave them online. She thrived off their fear. They never stood a chance. After she had gathered enough supplies, she began her way out. It was then that she heard a distressed cry from Ravage. She growled, rage filling her. She quickly transforms and shoots down the hall. It wasn't long before she found the mech that called himself Hotstreak. She transformed, watching the scene before the former friends. Hotstreak was left alone after an assault on Hardwire from Bumblebee. "I don't think I'm cut out for this war." He said to himself, not aware that she was only a few feet behind him. She silently sneaks up to him, "I don't think so either." She says, pointing her shotgun right in his face as he turns around, her devious smile returning to her beautiful features. He catches her off guard, kicking her leg out from under her. She hisses in frustration as she noticed that she only happened to graze his shoulder. He begins to shoot at her, but being that she was unnaturally quick, she avoided all attacks, using her speed to knock him out of the window. She looks through the window, watching him hit the ground painfully. It was then she heard shuffling coming towards her, she quickly turns around to see an injured Ravage and Laserbeak. She takes another look at Hotstreak before motioning for the two casseticons to come with her as she transforms and takes to the skies.

She arrives back at the Decepticon base shortly, picking up Ravage and Laserbeak in her arms. The only soft part in her spark belonged to her lifelong friend Soundwave and his casseticons. She saw Hardwire down one the many halls as she made her way to her chamber. She glared ferociously at him, "Just you wait Hardwire, and I'll show you my empty threats." She snarled. After she passes he simply rolls his eyes, ignoring her promise of harm. She continues to her chamber, quickening her pace as a painful whine emits from Ravage's vocalizer. It didn't take long for her to arrive, and she gently sets the two bots on her berth. Rage filled her systems as she thought of that filthy Autobot harming her friends. She walks to her workbench, pulling out some necessary medical tools. She glances at the wounds, noting that Ravage's were far worse than Laserbeak's, but they still were not critical. She quickly went about repairing their injuries, staying focused as she fused many broken wires back together. She slaves for hours, and finally, both of the cassettes were back in fighting shape. Ravage purrs in affection pressing his head into her hand as Laserbeak lets out a squawk of approval. It was rare for Soundwave's cassettes to be affectionate to anyone besides their master, but being that Silverstream was so close to Soundwave, they treated her with the same care. However, it was even rarer for Silverstream to show such compassion. She runs her hand down Ravage's back, receiving another purr of adoration. Laserbeak took flight, landing on Silverstream's shoulder with a caw of delight, touching the edge of his beak to her face. She turns as she hears her door hissing open, revealing the bright red visor she had come to know. Soundwave looks at the scene before him, noticing the scars left on Ravage and Laserbeak, who had returned to their master in excitement. He looks at her, "Gratitude given." He states as she nods, "No problem." He nods, leaving with his two newly repaired minions.

Her moment of compassion was over as her thoughts returned to the newly begun war. She thought of offlining many more of those pitiful Autobots. She had gotten her first real taste of power, and she wanted more. Watching her enemies crumbling before her because of her strength and agility fueled her newfound bloodlust. She again looked back at her memory banks, replaying the memory of destroying those disgusting traitors of Cybertron. Her thoughts returned to Hardwire as she remembered how he had insulted her, attacking her pride. She narrowed her optics, deciding it was time to show him his place. She was of a higher rank than him; Megatron had made that known the moment Hardwire joined the decepticons. "How dare he insult a superior," She thought to herself. She wondered where she would find him, determined to teach him a lesson in respect. She exited her chamber and began her search for Hardwire. With each step her anger grew. She refused to let anyone hurt her pride. She would take revenge against him, and when she did he would barely be left online. "What a pathetic fool, daring to order me around? Who does he think he is?" She hisses in a barely audible whisper, "disrespectful creature." Silverstream was not a femme to mess with. Femmes were often considered gentle and fragile, but she was the exact opposite. She would attack at the slightest thing and Hardwire had made the greatest mistake of his life cycle. He would soon wish he had not disrespected a superior officer.

Hardwire was by himself, working on some new invention in one of the many open rooms of the Decepticon base. Since there was no door he did not hear Silverstream enter, her nimble steps barely making a sound, even Ravage would have a hard time hearing her. She moved to the dark corner of the room, watching him like a predator. He was her unsuspecting prey and she would enjoy taking him down. She watched him for a few cycles, finding it funny that he did not detect her presence. Her glowing red optics brightened as she imagining him begging for mercy. After awhile she finally decided to begin her assault on the unsuspecting bot. "Hello Hardwire," she said sweetly, watching the mech in front of her jump slightly. He turned in his chair, looking at the femme in front of him. "What do you want, Silverstream? I don't have time for your games, I have work to do." He replied. She smiled innocently, walking towards him. "You work an awful lot." She said, closing the gap between them. She leaned down, placing her hands on his thighs, looking him straight in the optics, "Perhaps you should take a break?" He could tell she was up to something, but he wasn't quite sure what it was. "No, now get out of here." She leaned away from him, furrowing her brow. "You know, I recall you saying that I make empty threats. Do you believe that?" She asked, malice hiding in her voice. Instantly he knew what was about to happen and jumped up. "Get out of here Silverstream." He demanded.

In an instant he was against a wall, being held up by his neck. He seemed surprised that a mere femme could be so strong. "You forgot that I'm your superior," She whispered in his audio, "You should learn some respect." She said pressing him harder against the wall. He winced in pain as his back dug into the cold wall. "You're pathetic," She growled at him. "Let me go!" He groaned in protest. She tossed him to the ground, slamming her foot against his already damaged back. He grunted under her weight. It was a split second decision as he grabbed her leg with a free hand and tossed her across the room. She hit the wall with a loud thud and a hiss of pain. "How dare you!" She snarled, quickly recovering and charging towards him. He had no time to get up before she kicked him in the face with her powerful leg. He went flying across the room. He pulls himself up, looking at the malicious femme standing over him. "You may think you can overpower me, but you are wrong Hardwire. I'm your worst nightmare, and it was a mistake to order me around when you are my inferior." She says leaning down and grabbing him by the neck once again. She slams him violently against the floor, causing him to cough up some Energon. He saw her eyes flicker as bloodlust began to grow in her circuits. Her clawed hands tightened around his neck, scratching it and releasing more Energon. He heard a soft purr coming from her vocalizer as her excitement grew. He felt sickened by her love for such violence. Her bloodlust rivaled that of Megatron's, he had never seen such a thing. He felt a glimmer of fear growing in his spark as the femme's thrill grew. She looked down at him, smiling evilly. Silversteam was a monster in his eyes, just like Megatron. She slammed her fist into his chest before standing up and staring down at him. "Next time, you should think before you open your pathetic mouth. Order me around again and your condition will be critical." She threatened. She left him lying on the ground, Energon leaking from his broken body.


	7. Devestation

"Hotstreak! Hotstreak!" Coldspell yelled as Hotstreak started to come to. The Autobot base was in ruins. Autobot and Decepticon bodies were scattered across the battlefield. Coldspell smiled as Hotstreak's optics came back online. Bumblebee walked over and looked down at Hotstreak. "How ya doing buddy?" Bumblebee asked. "I'm fine but the Decepticons took our supplies. I couldn't stop them." Hotstreak said meekly. "Don't worry about it. Arcee and Jazz wanted to talk to the survivors in a few cycles. We should start heading over if you're alright Hotstreak." Bumblebee informed. "I'm still functioning so I'll be fine." Hotstreak said while getting up. The three bots made their way past the wreckage to where Arcee and Jazz were gathering up all the remaining Autobots. "We've been hit hard but the war is not over! This base is in shambles so we are going to have to split up." Arcee preached. "Hotstreak!" Jazz shouted, "Come stand with us our Autobot brethren." Hotstreak was a bit surprised. "I wonder what this is about." Hotstreak thought. Bumblebee and Coldspell looked on as Hotstreak parted through the massive crowd of beaten up Autobots. Hotstreak reached Jazz and Arcee. "Hotstreak, your bravery and courage has been noticed. Sentinel Prime himself asked for you to become a leader for the Autobots. Arcee and I are going to part ways for now. The three of us are to take a portion of the remaining soldiers and aid in the war." Jazz put his hand on Hotstreak's shoulder. Arcee looked into Hotstreak's optics, "You are going to be a leader to some of these beaten down Autobots. Rally their spirits and march on to Iacon. Your support will be needed." Arcee informed. Hotstreak said nothing as he looked at the Autobots who had their spirits crushed. This was a medical base and most of the Autobots were already injured and the sudden attack caught them off guard. Hotstreak was now in charge of these Autobots and he was not going to let them down. The three Autobots split up the remaining soldiers and split up.

A few weeks later, Hotstreak had nearly led his troops into Iacon. Cybertron was recently receiving more and more earthquakes. Dark Energon erupted randomly from the ground. Hotstreak and his platoon ran into a few Decepticons during their travels but they easily disposed of them. "Hey Hotstreak, how long until we reach Iacon do you think?" a young Autobot asked. Hotstreak looked at the small young Autobot. He was in his adolescence years and had already seen much of the gruesomeness the war had to offer. "We'll reach the outskirts of Iacon in only a few hours Mainframe." Hotstreak informed. "Go tell Bumblebee we'll continue to move on as soon as Coldspell returns with her scouting reports." Hotstreak commanded. Mainframe quickly transformed into a small car and dashed away. Hotstreak looked on as Mainframe drove past many of the other Autobots. During the weeks as Hotstreak lead his soldiers, he and Mainframe quickly became friends. Hotstreak was like a mentor to the young Autobot. They bonded rather quickly and Hotstreak enjoyed Mainframe's company. Hotstreak could see Coldspell coming back and at top speed. She drove up to Hotstreak and transformed in front of him. "Hotstreak there is a base up ahead near Iacon and they have plenty of supplies. They are lacking manpower so we will be able to join them before we continue our trek to Iacon." Coldspell informed Hotstreak. Hotstreak nodded and looked over at a faraway Bumblebee. Bumblebee locked optics with Hotstreak and he stood up. "Alright guys lets move out! Break is over gather up and lets roll out!" Bumblebee commanded the nearby Autobots. Hotstreak took the lead as they traveled the roads to Iacon.

The Autobot forces reached the nearby fort. Hotstreak transformed in front of a large Autobot. "Hey its about time they sent in some reinforcements!" The large Autobot chuckled. "My name is Hotstreak and I'm leading these soldiers to help defend Iacon. These are strict orders from Zeta Prime." Hotstreak informed. "Well I don't know about any orders, but I'm here protecting my home town. The name is Warpath and I would appreciate the extra firepower. Your soldiers can rest here and refill up. It is probably best if we moved along to Iacon with you. Decepticons won't attack my town if they don't have a reason too. Ok its settled! We will leave once you guys refill up." Warpath bellowed. He was a big bot and the huge cannon in his chest implied that he was a tank once transformed. Hotstreak looked at his soldiers as they transformed and made their way to the supplies. Coldspell and Bumblebee went off together and Mainframe walked over to Hotstreak. "So is Iacon as beautiful as they say it is?" Mainframe asked. Hotstreak looked at the small orange bot and smiled, "I guess we'll find out soon enough."

The sun started to set and Coldspell and Bumblebee were by themselves. "I don't understand. Why can't the Decepticons be content with their side of the planet. We don't have to keep fighting." Coldspell sighed. Bumblebee put his arm around Coldspell and brought her into his body. "The Decepticons will stop at nothing to get what they want. Their leader is has a few missing updates with his logic systems. Don't worry Spell, I won't let anything happen to you." Bumblebee said warmly. They gazed into each other's optics and Bumblebee brought his hand up to Coldspell's face. His hands felt perfect around Coldspell's face. Her spark was at ease. Both of them put themselves in harm's way being messengers. Coldspell found Bumblebee to be a highly attractive bot. She instantly liked him the day he arrived at the base. The more time they spent together the deeper her feelings grew. Bumblebee and Coldspell were best friends. Bumblebee also found Coldspell to be attractive. She was caring and easy to get along with. Her soft vocal output soothed him. Their friendship was inseparable. Their gaze lasted for a few cycles before they were interrupted by a blast that knocked both of them over. They looked into the skies to see Decepticon seekers. There were quite a few of them attacking the fort. "Decepticons?" Bumblebee shouted. "I'll go get Hotstreak!" Coldspell yelled. As Bumblebee started to open fire onto the Decepticons Coldspell raced to Hotstreak. Hotstreak was already engaged with the enemy when Coldspell arrived. "Hotstreak we're under attack!" She yelled. "I can see that Coldspell!" He shot back. "What are your orders?" she asked. "We hold the fort. There is ammunition and plenty of Energon. Our best chance is to defend this fort." Hotstreak said while shooting down a flyer. Hotstreak's aim continued to improve. His work in the mines made him sturdy and his aim was lethal.

The Decepticons easily outnumbered the Autobots. In the skies the commander of the Decepticons transformed. "We have engaged the enemy, Shockwave." he said into his com link. "Good Hardwire, now dispose of the Autobots before they use up too many supplies." Shockwave ordered. Hardwire smiled to himself, "As you command Shockwave." As he closed communications Hardwire activated a frequency scrambler. No one in this battle was going to be able to contact anyone by radio. Hardwire transformed and opened fire onto his fellow Decepticons. Most of Decepticons did not notice in the confusion. Hotstreak continued to shoot the Decepticons out of the sky when he noticed a sleek jet shooting and destroying the Decepticons. "Who is that?" he asked himself. Mainframe was combating the Decepticons as well. His small and agile body allowed him to easily evade the attacks by the seekers. Hardwire laughed in the skies as he activated his radar jammers to full capacity. Many of the seekers began to hear an incredibly loud siren in their audio receptors. They came crashing down into the ground violently, many of them exploding into a fiery mess. Hardwire descended the skies and transformed in front of Hotstreak. Warpath continued to shoot the falling Decepticons out of the skies with great amusement. "Hardwire at your service." Hardwire smirked. "Hardwire what are you doing?" Hotstreak asked with much surprise. "The Decepticons are foolish! They had me believe that technological advancement was their true goal. But Megatron and anyone who follows him is a fool. The Dark Energon is destroying Cybertron!" Hardwire cried. "So does this mean you're joining the Autobots now?" Hotstreak thought. "No, I'll be much better use to the Autobots if I stay with the Decepticons, as an informant." Hardwire's smirk returned to his face. "You're going to be a spy? That's just like you Hardwire. Well I'm just glad we don't have to be enemies anymore." Hotstreak admitted. "You should move on so I can report your victory to Shockwave. Continue down to Iacon. There are Decepticons up ahead but I'll give you a map so you can avoid them. Hurry to Iacon Hotstreak. Megatron plans on going after your leader, Zeta Prime for the Omega Key. And I've witnessed his power first hand. Don't let Megatron get the Omega Key Hotstreak. I'll continue to patch through information when I can. Good luck to Hotstreak." With that being said Hardwire transformed and flew away. Warpath continued to blast an already offline Decepticon. "Hah take that Decepticon!" he laughed. Hotstreak shook his head and rallied his troops.

The continued advance to Iacon was going smoothly. Using the maps that Hardwire they easily evaded the Decepticon troops. They finally arrived to the ruins of Iacon. The once great city was smoking and burning. Buildings were toppled over and the streets were crowded with debris. "Oh no! We're too late." Mainframe cried. Hotstreak knew the morale of his troops were dropping. He had to get to Zeta Prime and quick. "Hotstreak, your orders?' Coldspell asked. "We need to protect Zeta Prime!" Hotstreak commanded. "Autobots transform and lets ride!" Hotstreak transformed and lead the group of Autobots into Iacon. Nearby, Ironhide was leading a group of Autobots in a battle against a squadron of Decepticons. Silverstream was commanding the Decepticons against Ironhide. Ironhide and the Autobots fought valiantly against the Decepticons. "Let's join the battle!" Hotstreak ordered. The Autobots transformed and helped the assault against the Decepticons. "Fight harder or I will terminate you myself!" Silverstream ordered. Another femme landed next to Silverstream. "Slipstream, I'm glad you could finally join your older sister in battle. Do not disappoint me" Silverstream said. "Haha, I'm pretty sure I will rise above all expectations. Watch and be amazed Silverstream." Slipstream laughed. Slipstream transformed and joined the battle. Mainframe and Hotstreak fought side by side offlining many Decepticons. Bumblebee and Ironhide were diligently defending and protecting the other Autobots. Silverstream locked her targets onto Hotstreak. She shot off two missiles at him. Hotstreak turned just in time to shoot one of the missiles out of the sky blowing up the other nearby missile. Slipstream quickly changed to her machine gun and open fire onto him. "Mainframe take cover!" Hotstreak ordered. Hotstreak transformed and drove down the streets to leading Slipstream away from battle. "You can run but you can't hide filthy Autobot!" Slipstream antagonized.

Hotstreak transformed behind a giant piece of debris and started to carefully aim at Slipstream. He aimed and targeted Slipstream right at her right optic. Before he could pull the trigger he was directly shot by Silverstream. "Let us finish this pathetic Autobot, Slipstream. You will pay for what you did to Ravage and Laserbeak." She yelled. The two jets flew side by side and unleashed a massive barrage of missiles onto a stunned Hotstreak. The missiles flew into the area where Hotstreak laid. Nothing could have survived the assualt. The two jets returned into battle laughing. Silverstream was overjoyed from getting her revenge. Hotstreak's optics opened back up. He was surprised to see that he was still functioning. The missiles should have ripped him apart. He looked and noticed a body laying on top of him. His spark ached as he saw blue parts surrounding him. "Coldspell?" Hotstreak asked in disbelief. Her body was blown apart but her torso and head were intact for the most part. Her optics where flickering and she opened her mouth and Energon fluid splattered out. Her vocalizer was badly damaged. "Bbbbzziiiii- Hostreak….. I-I-I-I" her vocalizer started to studder. "I… bbbbzzzziiii….. I…." Coldspell was desperately trying to speak. She reached out her remaining arm and reached for him trying to gather to strength to touch his face. Hotstreak grabbed her hand and brought it to his face. "Coldspell save your strength." Hotstreak moaned. Tears trickled out of his optics and onto Coldspell's fingers. "She must of used her speed to intercept the missiles. She used her body as a shield to protect me." Hotstreak noted. "Oh Spell…. You're going to be ok. We can fix this Spell." Hotstreak cried. "I… Bbbbzziiiittt….. I lo… I lov… I….. Bumble-Bzziiit…. I.." Coldspell tried desperately to get the words out. Hotstreak looked on as Coldspell tried desperately with all of her spark to get the words out. "I….. I…" Coldspells eyes stopped flickering and faded into darkness. "Spell?…. Spell?" Hotstreak looked at the lifeless shell of his twin sister. He could feel it in his own spark. His sister was gone. She was lost to the war.

Rage built up inside of Hotstreak's circuits. He gently laid his sister down to the ground. He stood up wiping his tears away. He transformed and quickly returned to battle searching the skies. He was looking for either of the two. His mind was clouded by anger. Hotstreak desperately wanted revenge. He wanted his sister back. He wanted every Decepticon to feel his pain. He transformed and viciously fought any Decepticon unlucky enough to be in his path. Hotstreak's destructive spree was allowing the Autobots to fight off the remaining Decepticons. Hotstreak grabbed a Decepticon and mercilessly cut his arm off to take his null ray. He looked to the skies and found Slipstream and Silverstream. "These Autobots will rue the day they stood in the way of Slipstream and Silverstream." Slipstream laughed. "You are a mighty warrior sister and I am proud to have fought by your side today." Silverstream smiled menacingly. "Hey sister, there is something I've always wanted to te-" Before she could finish her head was blown apart. Sparks flew out of her neck as her lifeless body collapsed to the floor. Silverstream looked on in shock as her sister's body fell off of the high structure to the cold hard ground below. Silverstream watched on as the loud thud from her sister's body hitting the ground echoed through her audio receptors. "Starscream to all remaining seekers regroup with me now! We have orders from Megatron to engage Omega Supreme." Starscream's voice broke the stare of Silverstream. She transformed and was shot on her wing as she flew away. Hotstreak continued to fight and terminate every Deception in the area with the help of the remaining Autobots.


	8. Echoes of the Past

She knew she had orders. Starscream was her superior and disobeying him would probably result in punishment, but at that moment she didn't care. She transformed into her robot form a long distance from the battle taking place. Her memory processors replayed the image of her sister's death. What was she going to tell her? She would never know now. Her sister was gone. But strangely, her spark did not fill with rage or a yearning for revenge; it ached with mourning, despair, something the femme had never felt before. She felt like a failure as she remembers the promise she had made to her younger sister when they were just sparklings.

Silverstream and Slipstream had grown up in the wrong part of town. Desperation lead many mechs to a life of crime. It was a common site to see a bot minding his own business one minute, and laying dead on the ground the next. Silverstream could remember how frightened she had been, but that was before Slipstream was sparked. When her younger sister was brought to life, she became protective and strong, no longer fearing those desperate mechs. She remembered walking home with her little sister at her side when a much larger mech appeared before the two of them. He looked down at the two young femmes hungrily. Something that could have been a growl was heard as he took a step towards them. A terrified whimper escaped Silversteam's younger sister as he reached for her. Something snapped in SIlverstream as her sister cried out in fear when the mech grabbed her by the arm, crushing in some of her plating. Silverstream glared, "Let her go!" She yells, only to receive a malicious chuckle, "What are you going to do? You're just a pathetic little femme." She snarled, charging at the male taking him down and causing him to let go of Slipstream. "Come on!" Silverstream demanded to Slipstream, grabbing her undamaged hand and running. They had shortly arrived at home. Neither parent was home, something that was common. Silverstream looked at her sister's wounds, assuring her that she would be ok. It was a rough life, taking care of a sparkling when she was still one herself, but a promise was made that day, "Slipstream listen to me," Silverstream started, grabbing her sister by the shoulders, "I will never let anything happen to you, no one will ever hurt you. I will protect you until my spark is extinguished."

"I will protect you…." The words she had spoken to her little sister echoed through her head as she realizes that she failed. She had not protected her sister; she had urged her into the war, knowing well the dangers that would face Slipstream. And of those dangers, the worst possible one that could occur to her had. Silverstream clenches her fist, slamming it into a nearby wall, leaving smalls cuts on her knuckles which soon began to leak Energon. She hung her head, ashamed and angry at herself for being so foolish as to let her younger sister, who did not have nearly as much combat training as herself, fly onto the deadly battlefield. All Slipstream had been trying to do was make her older sister proud, that was all she had ever been trying to do since they were sparklings. She let out a growl, but not one of anger, one of pain. She had never felt such a pain in her spark, but with the terrible vivid memory playing in her mind, it was to be expected.

"Silverstream!" Starscream's voice echoed through her audio receivers, "Where the slag are you! I commanded all seekers to engage Omega Supreme immediately." She greatly disliked Starscream, he was a fool and so she did not respond immediately. "Silverstream I suggest you make your way here or answer to me! I do not appreciate your tardiness." At that moment Silverstream did not care about the war, or the decepticons, or Starscream, or the punishment she would surely receive; she cared about her dead sister. She chooses to ignore Starscream's orders and sits down on a pile of rubble. A passerby who knew who she was would be in utter shock if they witnessed the vulnerable position the normally cold, violent, aggressive femme was in now. She sat there, devastated and hurt as yet another painful memory of her past returned.

She was in a well esteemed combat academy earning top ranks. Many of her higher ups told her they had never seen a bot so devoted to bettering themselves. She grinned with pride, excited to inform her younger sister of these remarks. She walked through the halls of the academy, meeting up with Soundwave and she excitedly told him about how she had the highest marks in her classes. He nodded in approval. Soon they were outside the academy and parted ways. She began making her way home with a quick step. Halfway home, she noticed a group of mechs. Years of growing up in the rough part of town had taught her to avoid others at all costs; however, there was a part of her that always wanted to help. She watched as they snatched another young femme who was in the academy with her and began to torment her. She frowned, walking confidently over to the male bots, "Stop it!" She growled, only to receive vicious laughter. "Look, another little femme." One said smacking her to the side. She stumbled, falling to the ground as another one kicked her in the side. The largest one dropped the other femme, who simply ran away. Silverstream stared after her, angry that after her attempt to rescue her she would just run off. She was outnumbered, and despite her intense training, she stood no chance. She took the beating, her heart becoming colder and harder with each hit. And from that day forward, she vowed to never help anyone besides her sister and Soundwave, the only two who genuinely cared about her.

It was then she decided to return to the battle site. She was positive the battle had ended, considering her sharp audio sensors were not picking up anymore noise. She quickly transformed and made her way to the body ridden site. She walks through the empty shells of once very alive Cybertronians. Her spark flickers as she sees the headless body of her sister. She walks over to the body, falling to her knees besides it. She examines the mostly purple frame of her sister and gently touches the Decepticon insignia on the wing of her sister. She sighs, "Goodbye sister," She says gingerly, standing up and deciding it was time to return back to the base.

She arrives at the unusually silent base and begins to make her way to her chamber. She turns a dark corner and is suddenly slammed against the wall. She looks up to see blaring red eyes burning into her own. She then realizes it is none other than Starscream. "Let me go!" She hisses as he increases the power behind his grip. She struggles to get away, "What did I tell you about disobeying my orders Silverstream?" He snarls, pushing her harder into the wall, a barely audible whimper of pain coming from her vocalizer. Starscream smiles cruelly, "Well, well, what was that?" He asks. "What are you talking about?" Silverstream responds, "I heard that, the mighty Silverstream showing pain?" A feeling of shame and embarrassment washes over her as the male seeker pushes her harshly against the wall again. "Now tell me, why did you disobey my orders Silverstream?" He asks. She doesn't respond, receiving a frustrated growl from Starscream who abruptly throws her to the floor, stepping on the back of her head. "I asked you a question!" He yells, kicking her in the back, receiving a hiss of pain from the femme. He laughs, enjoying the fact that he was causing Silverstream to show pain. He kicks her in the side, causing her to crash into the nearby wall and spit up some Energon. "I will not repeat myself again Silverstream!" He hisses, walking towards her. She attempts to pull herself only to be knocked back down by the power of Starscream's foot. "Enlighten me." She grunts in pain. There was a reason she did not want to inform Starscream of the reasoning behind her absence.

Slipstream was now in the same academy as her sister. She watched the numerous mechs traveling to different areas for training. Her optics brightened as she saw her sister walking with some other bots. Among them was one that caught Slipstream's attention and she immediately ran over to her elder sister. "Hello Silverstream!" Slipstream said excitedly. Silverstream smiled, "Slipstream." She replied smiling. "Are you sisters?" The mech who had caught her optic asked, Silverstream nods, "She's my younger sister." He smirks, "Well, I'm Starscream." He says cockily, "Let me walk you to your training area." He said walking over to her and down the hall. "So you're Slipstream?" He asks. "Yes," She replies happily. He laughs, "You're a very beautiful femme." He replies. If she could have blushed she would have. She laughs, "And you're a very handsome mech." She retorts. "I know," he replies causing her to laugh again. They continue on their way, chatting and learning more about the other.

It wasn't long before the two had become inseparable. Slipstream spent nearly every waking moment with Starscream. And soon he had a proposition for her, "Slipsteam, I would like to bond with you." She didn't appear shocked, only smiled, "Not now Screamer, we're too young. But I promise once we're older, we will bond and be sparkmates." He seemed disappointed, but a reassuring touch by Slipstream quickly erased any fears of refusal he had.

Silverstream did not want to inform Starscream that Slipstream was offline because they had hopes of one day bonding after the war. She stares miserably at ground, guilt running through her circuits. He snarled, becoming even more impatient and kicking her up against the wall again. He walks over, wrapping his clawed hand around her wrist and pulling her up so their optics met. He dug his claws into her arm, causing Energon to drip from the wound. "Slipstream was killed in the battle today." SIlversteam says softly. She looks into his eyes as they fill with rage and hurt. "You will pay for being so foolish as to allow your younger sister to enter such a dangerous battle!" He yells pulling out his null ray. She pulls herself out of his grasp and attempts to back away, only to crash into something hard. She looks back to see Soundwave, contemplating the situation at hand. "Termination of Silverstream: Illogical. Suggestion: Cease assault immediately." He says. Starscream laughs, "Stand down Soundwave!" Soundwave does not reply; he simply raises his concussion blaster towards Starscream. A flash of fear runs through Starscream's optics, he was never the brave one in situations like these and he knew for a fact that Soundwave could easily take him out. "Desist." Soundwave states, keeping his gun pointed at Starscream's head. Starscream looks at Silverstream with a look of pure hatred before putting his gun down, "You'll get yours soon enough, Silverstream." He hisses, walking away down the dark hall.


	9. Losses

As the Autobots fought and destroyed the remaining Decepticons, Zeta Prime was dealing with his own problems. Megatron, Soundwave, and Breakdown were fighting a tough battle against Zeta Prime. "I appreciate the help kid but we need to keep fighting towards Zeta Prime. We can't allow the Decepticons to get the Omega Key." Ironhide said to Bumblebee. Bumblebee nodded with agreement and looked around for Hotstreak. Bumblebee did not see him in the nearby area so he transformed and drove off searching for him. After searching for half an hour for Hotstreak, Bumblebee had given up. Ironhide would wait no longer. "What is your name kid?" Ironhide asked while standing tall above him. "The name's Bumblebee." He answered quickly. "Listen Bee your commanding officer seems to have gone AWOL for now. I've seen how bravely you fight. You're in charge now of your forces." Ironhide said while looking into Bumblebee's optics. Bumblebee nodded. He transformed to gather his troops. "We fought valiantly today Autobots. Hotstreak went missing and it seems Coldspell went looking for him. As much as I'd hate to lose my two comrades and close friends, I'm sure they would want us to continue the mission and save Zeta Prime and keep the Omega key from the reaches of the Decepticons." Bumblebee shouted. "WOOOHOOO!" Warpath shouted while shooting a tank missile into the sky. Ironhide shook his head,

"Stupid kid he's going to give away our position if he keeps that up. Who is that guy anyway?"

As the Autobots continued with their mission to protect Zeta Prime, Hotstreak stands holding the remains of his sister. "Coldspell." He repeated to himself softly. He carries her remains deep into Cybertron. He walks through the battle damaged streets of Iacon. He passed many lifeless bodies of his fellow Cybertronians. He did not look directly at anything except the road ahead of him. He walked for hours until he reached a grand building. "The Halls of the Forgotten Warriors." he said to himself. Hotstreak walked in and placed Coldspell on the cold hard ground. He said nothing as he placed her body among the other great Cybertronian warriors; he layed her body to rest and sat looking at her.

As Bumblebee and crew rushed to the aid of Zeta Prime, Megatron had already grasped victory. Zeta was defeated and the Omega key had activated Omega Supreme. Megatron, Breakdown, and Soundwave fought against Omega Supreme. Bumblebee and Ironhide were too late. They entered the chamber where Zeta Prime had fought Megatron. The Autobots were dismayed to find nothing. No remains of Zeta Prime or the Omega key. "This isn't good." Ironhide started, "Bee! This is urgent, I need you to go as fast as you can and find the one named Optimus." Bumblebee snapped his head towards Ironhide. "Optimus? You can count on me Ironhide. I'll find him." Bumblebee said triumphantly. As Bumblebee sped off Ironhide shook his head slowly with defeat. "If Zeta is gone it is time for Optimus to stand up." Ironhide whispered. Bumblebee fled Iacon to find Optimus. "Hang in there Coldspell and Hotstreak help is on the way."

Hours later, Hotstreak steps foot outside the temple. He takes one last look at the lifeless body of Coldspell. Hurt fills within his circuits. He willed that his sister would spring back to life. He knew that she was gone for good. He spent hours letting himself come to terms with his sister's death. Being his twin, Coldspell and Hotstreak spent most of their life cycles' together. Their bond was starting to grow even more. He loved his sister and he knew that his sister loved him. His spark was aching. He already missed his sister so much. Hotstreak realized that the war had left many Cybertronian's feeling the way he feels now. Every day friends and family were being killed over Megatron's stupid war. The planet was being ripped apart and Autobots and Decepticons were still at war. A part of Hotstreak wanted to quit the war. The other part wanted to stay fighting so that other Cybertronians would not lose their loved ones. "All nearby Autobots home in on my signal that is an order!" Ironhide's voice said through his communicator. Hotstreak transformed and sped through Iacon to Ironhide's location.

Hotstreak arrived to a vicious battlefield. He spotted Mainframe in the battle and joined him. "Hotstreak? Where did you go? Some of us thought you got scrapped." Mainframe shouted. "No, I still function." Hotstreak said calmly. Mainframe and Hotstreak fought side my side against the Decepticons as Omega Supreme battled Megatron. Hotstreak and Mainframe were starting to become outnumbered by the Decepticons. With each Decepticon they destroyed three more took their place. Hotstreak was shot in the knees and fell to the ground. Mainframe was blasted down and Hotstreak and Mainframe were about to join the matrix. Hotstreak accepted it as he mourned for Coldspell. Mainframe had no fear in his eyes. The Decepticons cornered and surrounded the two. They took aim at the two Autobots. "Hang on little buddy!" A voice shouted. A rig exploded through the Decepticons and Avalanche transformed taking out the many Decepticons. Avalanche was covered in scrapes and gouges. "Avalanche!" Hotstreak said surprised. The sigh of Avalanche was welcoming for Hotstreak. "I didn't know you were here defending Iacon." Avalanche chuckled with his deep voice. "No time for greetings old friend we have to keep fighting." Hotstreak commanded. Hotstreak, Avalanche, and Mainframe fought alongside the other Autobots. During the fight Mainrame strayed away from Avalanche and Hotstreak. "Mainframe come back!" Hotstreak called after. "No, I got this one! I'm not just a kid anymore." Mainframe yelled after. "No, Mainframe, we fight as a team!" Avalanche persuaded. Mainframe did not listen and was lost in the battle. The Autobot forces where being pulverized and Ironhide ordered a tactical retreat. "Not today! I won't lose another loved one!" Hotstreak shouted. "What are you saying?" Avalanche questioned. Hotstreak tried to run into the swarm of Decepticons to look for Mainframe, but Avalanche held him back into retreat. Mainframe was gone.

Moments later on the streets of Iacon, Ironhide gathered the remaining Autobots. "My friends and fellow soldiers, Iacon is lost. The Decepticons had defeated and captured Omega Supreme. Although a great blow was struck today, the war is not lost. We will continue fighting and save our planet! We will rally behind one of our leaders and continue to fight the War for Cybertron." Ironhide had rallied the troops. The Autobots had not given up. Hotstreak stood off by himself. He lost his sister, he didn't know where Bumblebee was, and he was forced to leave behind Mainframe. The war was taking its toll on Hotstreak. He wanted to quit badly, but he knew he had to continue fighting so that other people would not feel this pain he felt. He just wanted it all to end but he would not succumb to this feeling. He would continue fighting as long as his spark was still online. Avalanche approached Hotstreak, he said nothing as he handed him a communicator. "I found this on the ground. It has Mainframe's name etched into it. It is a two way so I figured if he still functioned this would help you search for him." Hotstreak took the slim communicator from Avalanche. There was still hope for Mainframe and that fueled Hotstreak's will to fight. "I'll find you Mainframe." Hotstreak said while grasping the communicator.

Ironhide lead his troops deeper in Cybertron's cities. Along the way Hotstreak called into the communicator. He was sure Mainframe left it behind on purpose. Ironhide and company were traveling far too slow for Hostreak's liking. Hotstreak decided one night to leave the caravan of soldiers. He regretted leaving Avalanche behind after he saved his life but he didn't want to risk his life on his conquest to look for Mainframe. Hotstreak snuck off in the middle of the night and contacted Hardwire. Hardwire flew towards Hotstreak's location. He transformed in front of Hotstreak. "Hey Hotstreak, what did you want? I can't be gone for too long the Decepticons have plans for a giant Cybertronian in the stars. I think they are trying to use him as a weapon." Hardwire said quickly. "I just need you to see if the communicator on the receiving end of this still functions." Hotstreak said. He handed Hardwire the communicator and Hardwire looked it over. "Hmmm, yes the two way communicator still functions. However, the range is short but I could work on the signal towers out here. I'll also locate where the communicator holder is." Hardwire continued working as he pulled out numerous gadgets. "There, the signals seem to be coming from Kaon. If you're looking for an Autobot he is probably in the prison there. Well if that's all you need I have to get back now." Hotstreak took the communicator before speaking, "Thanks Hardwire. Take care of yourself I can't lose anymore loved ones." Hardwire scoffed before flying away.

Days later, Starscream had just finished a fight with Optimus, Bumblebee, and Ratchet. He flew off with his damaged pride. Hotstreak was making his way towards Kaon when Starscream spotted him. Starscream quickly transformed, "Well well look what we have here." Starscream mocked. Hotstreak looked up beaten from his travels and low on ammo. Starscream started to laugh as he aimed his Null Ray at Hotstreak.


	10. Vulnerability

Soundwave had just returned from his battle with Omega Supreme to protect Silverstream. He felt something wrong in his circuitry during the battle and once he had fulfilled his orders from Megatron, he quickly made his way back. Though a simple observer would not be able to tell, Soundwave was glad he arrived when he did. Silverstream was his only friend amongst the Decepticons, though it was hard to believe such an emotionless creature could have a friend, and he did not want to lose her. He gladly stepped forward, knowing that Starscream would not dare attack him. Soundwave was not only very good with weapons, his physical strength was immense and so, Starscream would be stupid to attempt a solo attack. Soundwave hadn't truly looked at the damage Starscream had afflicted until he attempted to get Silverstream to walk back to her room.

She rests against Soundwave's chest, pain running through her circuitry as she stares into the darkness in which Starscream had just retreated. She felt vulnerable, ashamed, and embarrassed. She feels a reassuring hand touch her shoulder, but she jumps anyways, startled by the sudden movement. She collapses onto the ground, Energon leaking from her many wounds as she grunts in pain. "Repairs necessary immediately," Soundwave says to her. She hangs her head miserably. "No…" She begins, "Affirmative, resistance futile, Repairs, necessary." He says, cutting her off, "Stubbornness not recommended." She watches as he kneels down beside her, she watches as he makes a motion towards her, attempting to pick her up, "I said no!" She snarls at him. He ignores her demands and attempts to pick her up, despite her struggle against him. "Desist. Repairs necessary." She attempts to stand up on her own, only to fall back to the ground. She could sense Soundwave's agitation. "Desist." He repeats, this time picking her up in his arms and making his way down the hall. "Put me down Soundwave! I'm fine!" He didn't reply as he continued on his way. She watches as he walks past her room, "Soundwave, my room is right there! Take me back!" She yells. "Negative," He replies, "Self repairs will do no good." He opens the door to his room and set her on the birth. "Rumble, Frenzy: Eject, operation: Gather repair tools." The two identical casseticons flew out of his chest. "What's goin on Wave?" Rumble asks. Soundwave does not reply as he begins to examine Silverstream's wounds. "Man, what happened to you, Stream?" Frenzy asks. Soundwave turns and looks at them, not saying anything. They catch his gaze and instantly go to gather repair tools.

They soon return, tools in hand, and give them their creator who begins work on the much damaged Silverstream. Rumble and Frenzy pulled themselves onto Soundwave's birth. "You get beat up by one of those stupid Autobots?" Rumble asks, grabbing onto her arm and looking at one of the dents. "They got you good." Frenzy continues, "I bet it took at least four of them to take you down." He says enthusiastically. "Yeah! I bet you terminated them all!" Rumble says. Silverstream felt a smile tugging at her lips as the two young casseticons continued their mindless rambling. Only Soundwave would know the truth behind her current condition, and he would not speak of it to anyone, even his cassettes. She sits there calmly as Soundwave finishes up his repairs.

It was then that she felt something strange, sudden warmth filled her body. She remembered how her sister told her that she needed to lighten up, stop being so mean and cold to others. Now that her beloved sister was gone, Silverstream felt that maybe she should begin to be kinder to others, other Decepticons at least. Her lust for war was still there, but it seemed weakened slightly by the loss of her sister. She wanted something more, but she wasn't sure what it was yet. She looks at Soundwave as he stands up. "Thank you," She whispers. He nods, putting his tools away. "Yeah, Wave fixed you up nice and good, Stream." Rumble says, "Shut up" Silverstream replies playfully, "I was perfectly fine." The two bots seemed shocked by Silverstream's sudden playful attitude, but quickly turned back to their happy attitudes. Silverstream stands up, "Recharge recommended." Soundwave states as she nears the door. She nods, "Alright, Soundwave." She says, leaving his room.

She makes her way back to her room and sits on her berth. She ponders the results of the war. Would Megatron truly bring this world to glory? Was it worth it? She was starting to feel that her sister's life mattered not to Megatron. Her death was meant nothing to the war or its cause as far as Megatron was concerned. Due to the brutal ways of the Decepticons, there was no time for any type of burial. At least if she were an Autobot they would take the time to bury their dead soldiers. Silverstream saw this as a weakness at first but now she understands why they would take the time to honor their fallen soldiers. A soldier could easily be a loved one. Her spark ached as she thought about the death of her sister. She enjoyed battle and destruction but she realized that she is suffering because of the death of her sister. Silverstream and Slipstream have been together for nearly her entire life cycle. Now she is gone. Silverstream tried with all of her will to not think about it but the images kept pouring in and forcing her will out. She holds herself as tears flow down the side of her face. She was hurting and there was no one to ease the fire of despair in her spark. Her spark felt large in her chest as it throbbed with agony. How could someone kill Slipstream? She knew it was war but she never thought that an Autobot would kill Slipstream. Her mind shifted to rage as the desire for revenge was building in her circuits. She knows pain and she wants to inflict more of it onto her opponents. Every Autobot will feel the wrath of her sorrow. Energon will flow out of her enemies' bodies just like the tears fell from her optics. In her fragile moment Silverstream grabbed onto the one thing that would give her strength, her rage. She stood up from her berth and her optics glowing immensely as the tears kept flowing down her face. Her emotions changed and the expression on her face showed that the last caring part of her spark was slipping away. She knows death now and it is now an even stronger instrument of doom at her disposal. She is now without mercy and her circuits thirst for war. She did not care what Megatron was after. If he promised war she would gladly follow.

Silverstream walked over to her personal belongings and threw them against the ground. Heirlooms, pictures, and personal messages she just let them fall violently against the floor. She had become a new bot and she no longer needed things to remind her how foolish she was. She took out her shotgun and aimed it at her personals. A small part of her was against this act but Silverstream closed her eyes as she found that it was a weakness. She fired upon the ground, destroying and obliterating anything that was in range of her fire. Debris flew across the room and Silverstream locked away as many memories of Slipstream as she could. Even with her new found will she could not help but feel sorrow for her loss but she continued to turn that sorrow into fury and her circuits started to boil. Hatred grew in her spark and she enjoyed the release from the sorrow. As fury overrides sorrow Silverstream leaves her chamber as she is too worked up for a reboot. She finds her way into the Decepticon war room as she looks for weapons and ammo to load up on. She gathers the most dangerous weapons from the armory. On her way back she sees Hardwire walking down the hallway. Her rage is directed towards the Autobots but she doesn't allow him to pass her without a menacing snarl. Hardwire just rolled his eyes as he passed her. Hardwire had been coming out of his chambers more often. After their scuffle he usually stayed within the confinements of his room. His arrogance annoyed Silverstream. She was not going to allow Hardwire to forget his place. She grabbed his shoulder and slammed him against the wall. Hardwire grunted in pain as she leaned her face closer to his. She stared him straight into the optics. As she looked deeper into his optics with her fierce stare, what she saw enraged her. She saw the calm in his eyes. He did not fear her even after her assault. Her intent to kill rose and she pulled out her shotgun. "I'm sorry for your loss." Hardwire said softly. All of a sudden her wild urges to kill vanished into a silent storm of self anger. "What did you say?" Silverstream asked. "I heard about your sister. I'm sorry. She will be missed." Hardwire said blandly. She intended to surprise Hardwire but instead his sudden calm attitude and empathy caught the fierce gale of rage by surprise. She let Hardwire go. Her quarrels were better aimed at her real enemies. Hardwire brushed himself off. He went to pat Silverstream on the shoulder but she smacked his hand away. She shot her head and frowned at him. She continued down the hall more tears rushing from her optics. Her body was repaired but her fragile psyche was shattered and she was losing herself in the midst of it all. The only thing that mattered now was the war. On the battlefield there is no good and evil. There is only you and the enemy. She thought to herself, you cannot grieve over someone you do not care about, and with that she returned to her chambers for a proper recharge. Silverstream was looking forward to the next battle. She crawled into her berth and fell into sleep mode. Slipstream invaded her mind and deep inside of Silverstream's spark the sorrow battled fiercely with the rage inside of her and there was nothing to calm their quarrel. Slipstream's optics still weep.


	11. Burial

Hotstreak traveled for days looking for any kind of signal for Mainframe's communicator. He was tired and running low on Energon. His sudden run in with Starscream was sill the least of his worries. Starscream continued to point his null ray at Hotstreak. "Well Autobot, are you going to beg for mercy?" Starscream asked triumphantly. Hotstreak responded by tackling Starscream to the ground. The two bots hit the ground with a loud thud. "How dare you strike the mighty Starscream! You will regret your foolish decision Autobot." Starscream snarled. Hotstreak was not listening to Starscream. He was running low on Energon and he was tired but the will to find Mainframe gave him strength. He hunched over Starscream and assaulted him from above. Starscream gave a strong kick and knocked Hotstreak off of him. Hotstreak quickly regained his balance and unsheathed his blade. He quickly cut Starscream across the chest. Starscream screamed in agony. Hotstreak threw Starscream back to the ground. "Please no, have mercy." Starscream pleaded for his life but his begging went unheard. Hotstreak stepped on Starscream's head crushing it. While Hotstreak was attempting to execute Starscream, he was shot to the ground. Hotstreak looked up to see Hardwire in jet mode. "Starscream, our orders were to pull out. Megatron would be highly upset if he knew you were playing around. You go on ahead I'll finish up here." Hardwire spoke. "Ugh, fine handle my light weight. I need repairs anyway." Starscream said as he transformed and flew away. Hardwire continued to shoot at Hotstreak until Starscream faded away into the distance.

Hardwire transformed and landed next to Hotstreak. "You couldn't have waited until I killed him?" Hotstreak asked coldly. "Trust me Hotstreak, you want Starscream alive. They don't call them Decepticons for nothing." Hardwire said. Hotstreak thought about that and chuckled. "Well it is always a surprise to see you Hardwire. What's going on?" Hotstreak asked. "Well, I duplicated the signal from that communicator of yours and then I strengthened the signal and I found where your friend's receiver is." Before Hardwire could finish Hotstreak grabbed onto Hardwire. "You're amazing Hardwire! Where is he?" Hardwire pushed Hotstreak off of him and brushed himself off. "Like I was saying, I found the nearest matching signal. It's just the receiving end so the communicator doesn't have to be attached to a bot. The location gives me hope. Now do you want the good news or the bad news?" Hardwire asked while he was fidgeting with one of his gadgets. "Just give me news Hardwire." Hotstreak said weakly. "The nearest signal is all the way in Kaon; which is Decepticon territory. Why your friend would be there is most likely because he is a prisoner of war. There is a maximum prison in Kaon and your friend is probably being held captive. It would be a suicide mission to go in there but luckily for you I created a cloaking device and a scrambler that allows you to temporarily change your systems to a Decepticon. You could sneak in and rescue your friend and allow me to see how my new gadgets do in a field test." Hardwire handed his gadgets over to Hotstreak. Hotstreak installed the cloaking device and the Decepticon disguiser. "I also encoded my codec into the cloaking system so I'll be able to contact you when ever and vice versa. It uses brain waves and converts them into radio waves so you won't have to speak out loud to use it. Also, when you're under disguise you'll need a new name. Pick a name and I'll add your full information into the Decepticon mainframe." Hotstreak gave it all some thought. "Thanks Hardwire I appreciate this. I don't care what name I have. Surprise me." Hotstreak said. "Ok, I'll let you know the first time you activate it. I need to repay you hold still." Hardwire commanded as he started to heal Hotstreak with an Energon repair ray.

Hardwire healed and replenished Hotstreak. Hardwire agreed to lead Hotstreak to Kaon. Hotstreak was on the ground following Hardwire. In the back of Hotstreak's mind the image of betrayal constantly replayed itself. He started to doubt his friend. "They don't call them Decepticons for nothing." He remembered Hardwire saying. Hotstreak could have lost his life that day because of Hardwire. Years of friendship just doesn't get ruined from one battle. Maybe Hardwire never really considered them to be that great of friends. Hardwire spent most of his time working and building on gadgets. He remembered when Avalanche and he would ask Hardwire to go out with them and many times he would refuse so he could experiment. He didn't think anything of it then but now his suspicion grows. He let Starscream get away and now he is leading him into Decepticon territory and into a maximum prison. Hotstreak started to slow down. He slowed and slowed until he came to a complete stop. His circuits were burning with anger. He now believed that Hardwire was planning on betraying him. All the time and dedication Hotstreak put into his friendship just to be betrayed because of a war; a war that Hotstreak did not start. Hotstreak was just fighting for his beliefs much like Hardwire but never would Hotstreak attack his lifelong friends. He was starting to see a different bot in Hardwire. He just let Hardwire download his programs into him. Hotstreak was fuming with anger. Hotstreak calmed himself down. His friendship with Hardwire was a lifelong one. Hardwire would never betray him, at least not twice. Hotstreak silently agreed to go along with Hardwire but he could no longer fully trust him. Their trust was broken and once you break someone's trust for the first time, you never fully get that trust back. Hotstreak transformed and kept a steady eye on Hardwire.

A few cycles later, Hardwire and Hotstreak are heading deeper into Decepticon territory. Soundwave looks out of a Decepticon carrier down at the ground below. "Why do we have to look after prisoners Soundwave? I want to go into battle. I'm burning with rage I need to fight." Silverstream said as she got up to stand next to Soundwave. "Negative. No prisoners." Soundwave responded. A smirk formed itself onto Silverstream's face. "Then I think I'm going to enjoy my stay at Kaon." Silverstream laughed. The carrier flew over Hardwire. Silverstream caught a glimpse of Hardwire as they passed by. "What is he doing all the way out here?" She asked herself, "Excuse me while I tend to something." She said as she jumped out of the carrier and transformed. She flew over to Hardwire who continued to fly as if it was just a casual day. "What are you doing all the way out here Hardwire?" She interrogated. "I have my orders Silverstream. Why must you continue to antagonize me?" Hardwire sighed. Hardwire used the COM link to talk to Hotstreak, "Just keep lagging behind this femme is crazy. I'll get rid of her it just takes a moment." Hotstreak replied with silence. "You know Hardwire, you've been acting really strange lately." Silverstream said, "What are you up to?" Hardwire continued to fly without responding. Silverstream started to get angry, "Don't ignore me you useless hunk of metal. I don't care what you're up to but I do care to know. Look I no longer care for Megatron's plans I'm just a soldier, so I demand to know what you're up to. That is an order." Silverstream commanded. "I don't take orders from you." Hardwire said wisely. Silverstream had enough. She transformed and grabbed onto Hardwire steering him into the ground below. The two crashed hard. Hardwire managed to transform but Silverstream had Hardwire pinned to the ground. "Tell me what you are doing before I-" Silverstream was cut off as Hotstreak shot her off of Hardwire. Silverstream fell over with a loud clank. "Decepticon punk. Hey Hardwire, I think she likes ya." Hotstreak said as the barrel of his gun smoked.

Silverstream laid motionless as Hardwire got up. "I wouldn't say that but we won't have to be bothered by her anymore." Hardwire responded. "Let's keep going." Hotstreak said. "No, I can't leave her dead. That'll look bad. I told you to let me handle it Hotstreak." Hardwire started to repair Silverstream with his Energon repair ray. Silverstream's wounds began to heal up. "There she's still unconscious but she won't go offline." Hardwire turned to transform. "Why are you helping them?" Hotstreak asked. "What?" Hardwire was confused. "Why are you helping them? First Starscream now her?" Hardwire turned to Hotstreak. "I'm undercover in case you have forgotten. I always have to be the brains of the group don't I? I have to think one step ahead just to keep you and Avalanche alive. My gadgets were protecting you in the mines. You're welcome Hotstreak. You ever wonder why we survived the mines with minimal damage? All that exposure to Energon can be lethal. I was the one keeping our Energon levels at a safe constant. While you and Avalanche were out partying I was diligently working to keep us alive." Hotstreak stood silently embarrassed that he allowed himself to distrust Hardwire. "Fair enough." Hotstreak said. They turned to transform but Hotstreak was tackled and face planted into the ground. Silverstream was back up and out for revenge. "I thought you said she would stay unconscious!" Hotstreak yelled. "Me too!" Hardwire shot back. Hotstreak and Silverstream fought violently on the ground. Hardwire looked on trying to figure out what to do. Hardwire fiddled through his gear and pulled out a grenade. "Ah perfect time to test this out." Hardwire threw the grenade near Hotstreak and Silverstream. The grenade blew up with concussive force knocking both bots back. They flew through the air before crashing down into the ground dazed. "It works well. Both of them should be knocked out for a few cycles." as Hardwire started to walk over to Silverstream and Hotstreak the ground started to shake vigorously. The ground split and Hotstreak and Silverstreamed fell through. Hardwire ran and transformed to save the two bots but the ground closed up before he could get close. "Hotstreak!" Hardwire shouted.

Hotstreak's optics came back online as he looked over to see Silverstream getting up on her feat. There was light coming from the nearby Energon. He rubbed his optics and quickly realized that Silverstream was in front of him trying to gather herself. Hotstreak tried to pull out his gun but it was missing. He instead tackled her to the ground grabbed her throat trying to crush it. Silverstream quickly grabbed a nearby chunk of earth and slammed it against Hotstreak's head. Hotstreak's optics flickered and Silverstream began her attack. Her quick strikes and movements were faster than his but his time spent in the mines had made is body a fortress. He could over power Silverstream once he got a hold of her. Silverstream was a trained soldier, her melee strikes were getting the best of Hotstreak. Hotstreak transformed mid-fight and drove into Silverstream's shins and ran over her. He quickly transformed back and smashed his foot into Silverstream's chest. "Ugh, filthy Autobot." Silverstream hissed. She had bloodlust in her eyes and she had full intent to offline Hotstreak. She brought her legs up and wrapped them around Hotstreak's leg and forced him down into the ground. She struck him many times before Hotstreak grabbed one of her hands and tossed her aside. She tried to get back up but Hotstreak kicked Silverstream in her side. Silverstream managed to get up and started to swing unto Hotstreak. The two fought up close exchanging blows. A load roar was heard deep inside the underground caverns. This did not stop the two from fighting. The ground quaked as they fought fiercely. A giant creature emerged from within the ground. It charged the two fighting bots and each of them rolled away from it. The massive worm like creature turned to face Silverstream. It charged again with much speed. Silverstream transformed and took flight. The quaking from the massive behemoth created a cave in. The ceiling was collapsing onto the ground. Silverstream was hit by the debris and crashed to the ground at the mercy of the behemoth. Hotstreak looked on as he started to flee. He saw Silverstream laying there watching death. He remembered Coldspell as she awaited death. Silverstream got up to run but was much too slow on foot and there was too much debris falling for her to fly. The worm-like behemoth was gaining much ground and it opened its massive mouth in an attempt to swallow Silverstream. She could feel the warmth from the creature's mouth and she could feel her end coming soon. The monster leaped and swallowed the ground and everything that was in its path. Hotstreak was running on foot with Silverstream in his arms. "Coldspell." he said to himself. "What?" Silverstream looked up to see her savior, "What are you doing? I didn't need your help." She scoffed. "Fine," Hotstreak said while dropping her. They transformed and escaped the behemoth.


	12. Unknown Emotions

The two walked through the cavernous underground world; Silverstream walking several strides ahead of Hotstreak. She was furious that she was stuck in some unknown place with someone she considered inferior. "This is all your fault." She hisses at him. Hotstreak quickly glares at the femme, "You should be grateful that I saved your life," He retorted. She turns away and continues walking through the Energon lit cavern. It was then that a thought ran through her head, why had he saved her? They were just trying to kill each other moments before, but when she was in danger he stepped in to help. A slight bit of warmth filled her spark, but she quickly denied its growth, remembering that she had vowed to never be so foolish again. The two stop suddenly as they hear the ferocious growl from the depths of the earth. "Was that you or me?" Hotstreak asked, attempting to lighten the dark situation. Silverstream snarled at his attempt and sharpened her sense as she looked back from where they had come. She stared hard into the darkness before a glimmer of fear ran through her optics. "Uh…What is it?" Hotstreak asks. She watches as the monster closes the distance between the two of them, "You're on your own Autobot." She says transforming and jetting far away from the confused Hotstreak. Another ravenous growl echoed against the walls, closer to Hotstreak this time. "You can't just leave me here!" He yelled after the retreating Silverstream.

She transformed a safe distance away from the commotion. She could hear Hotstreak's shouts of desperation as he took on the colossal monster on his own. It was clear to her that he was quickly losing; with no weapons he had little hope. Even with the best melee trained soldier, that creature could not be brought down alone. A small part of her spark ached to go help him, but she quickly became furious with herself, "Why should I help him? He's the enemy. He deserves to be offlined." She said to herself, "But he saved your life" A voice from within spoke. Silverstream froze as she listened to the voice within her. It reminded her of Slipstream, "He saved your life, even though he is the enemy, he saved you." It whispered. "No, I shouldn't help him. It doesn't matter that he saved me, he's the enemy!" She yells, "He saved you, it's only right to return the favor." She snarled, "Just like that young femme I saved returned the favor?" "This is different sister." The voice echoed. Silverstream felt her spark drain as the voice called her sister, "I'm going crazy." She said to herself, "This is ridiculous, listening to stupid voices in my head!" She shrieks, slammed her fist against the wall, "Listen to me," the voice continued, "This is different, He saved you, save him. You won't regret it." Then it vanished. She sat in silence, fighting with herself. She heard another screech come from the creature with a responding yell from Hotstreak.

She sighs, defeated, as she transforms and makes her way back towards Hotstreak. She was there in no time and discovers a struggling Hotstreak. She stays out of view of the monster, focusing and attempting to find a weak point the she could strike. "What are you waiting for!" Hotstreak shouts at her. She ignores him and continues searching for a weak spot. After moments of examination she decides to go for its eye. That would provide enough distraction for them to get away, or at least to plan a counter attack. She flies at top speed towards the creature's eye, transforming at the last minute, and delivering a blow to its sensitive eye with her powerful legs.

The creature shrieks in agony as it rears back, shaking its head and sending Silverstream straight into the nearby wall. She grunts in pain as she falls to the ground. She pulls herself up as Hotstreak makes his way over to her. "Listen, I don't like you, you don't like me, but we need to work together if we're going to kill this thing." He says. Her sharp red optics pierced his blue ones. She knew he was right. As much as she did not want to join forces with an Autobot, she knew she would not get out of here without him. "There has to be a something that can offline this creature." Silverstream says, watching the behemoth squirm in pain. "Your melee attacks are pitiful, you distract it." She continues. He looks at her, "You just left me here with it! You should be the one to distract it." He retorts. She glares at him, "Like I just stated," she says aggravated, "Your attacks are pathetic, you won't even be able to dent this thing." She looks up, noticing that the ceiling was covered in stalagmites. It then clicked within her. Though they did not have any guns, their vehicle modes would still have they're weaponry. "You need to distract it!" She says, "If I can shoot down some of those stalagmites it might be enough to kill this thing!" The creature had finished its shrieking as it turned and focused its painful rage on the two bots.

It charged towards them as they transform; Hotstreak taking on the task of distracting it while Silverstream had to plan the perfect moment to shoot down the stalagmites. The creature once again focuses its attention on Hotstreak as he races around the cavern. It lets out a monstrous roar, shaking the ground beneath him. Silverstream jets around the cavern, watching as the behemoth begins to corner Hotstreak. She shoots at a nearby stalagmite, causing it to crash down onto the monster's mid-section. It was pinned in its place, struggling to break free. Hotstreak races from the corner and watches as Silverstream shoots another stalagmite, but it misses the monster. Before long the creature was trashing around. Silverstream diligently dodges the creature's massive tail, continuing to shoot at the sharp rocks above, causing them to fall and penetrate the beast's body. A particularly sharp one slices through the creature's neck. Its thrashing becomes volatile as it whips its tail through the air. Silverstream focuses on a particularly large stalagmite right above the creature's head. She hovers in the air, aiming for the perfect spot to cause it to tumble down, crushing the monster's head. She fires and watches as the stalagmite makes its way towards the creature. She stares, completely unaware of the blunt tail heading towards her, "Look out!" She hears Hotstreak yell, she turns and sees the tail, but it was already too late for any evasive action. Its tail smacks her as the creature gave one more powerful thrust, slamming into the cavern's walls. Silverstream transforms and falls to the ground, dazed by the sudden blow. The walls of the cavern shook as all the stalagmites from the ceiling came crashing down. "We need to get out of here!" Hotstreak yells running over to Silverstream. "Come on!" He said stretching out his hand to her. In her daze she took it, putting her feelings of hatred aside. He pulls her up and leads her away from the destruction.

The two run down a passage, desperate to escape the cave in. Silverstream looks down at their hands before looking at his face. He was in front of her, so he did not notice her stare. She felt strange; warm. She turned her stare back to their joined hands. They were far from the danger at this point and they had stopped running, but Hotstreak kept a firm grip on her hand. The two calmly continued at a steady pace. "I don't know your name," says Hotstreak suddenly. Her mind told her to laugh and tell him he has no reason to know her name, but she replies, "Silverstream." He nods, still not letting go of her hand. The warmth she felt was moving up through her body. She was unsure of its origins. She hadn't felt like this before, like there was something right about her feeling. She tells herself it was because of her recent blow from that creature and she pulls herself back to her senses, "You can let go of my hand now, Autobot." She says; her usual sharpness was no longer there. He looks back at her, "Stop calling me Autobot, my name is Hotstreak." She knew his name, she had heard Hardwire call him that when she had encountered him the first time, but he was an Autobot, and to call someone by their name would show friendliness, something she did not want to give to an Autobot. However, she felt upset by his sudden retort and for once shut her mouth. She pulled her hand away from his, expecting the warmth to drain from her body but despite her hopes she felt the warmth beginning to breach her cold spark.


	13. Savior

Hotstreak journeyed through the underground caverns that were very dimly lit by the Energon veins. Silverstream and Hotstreak continue to trek together but with much distance in between the two. The two bots have been walking for a few cycles now and the end is nowhere in sight. With no real designation the two aimless continue walking. Hotstreak looks at the communicator and wonders if Mainframe is still alive. Hotstreak just sighs to himself, "Don't worry Mainframe I'm coming for ya." Silverstream is walking behind of Hotstreak staring straight ahead at Hotstreak watching him intently. "He's an Autobot and we're at war…. I should terminate him." she thinks to herself, "But, he has been useful serving as a scrap shield. I think it would be wise to keep him around for a bit." she continued to watch him and his mannerisms. He walked confidently in the dark. Silverstream was used to stalking within the shadows but Hotstreak seemed unphased by the darkness. She looked on more and she noticed how sleek his body was. In vehicle mode he must be exceptionally fast for a ground unit. He also had a lot of scratches and gouges on his body. The damage looked far older than the war. Hotstreak was very intriguing for an Autobot. Silverstream decided she spent enough time analyzing him and looked away. She looked around the cavern and saw rocks. She looked around a bit more and saw more rocks. Everywhere she looked there was just rocks and glowing Energon. She looked back at Hotstreak and continued to watch him using the excuse that there was nothing more to look at.

A few more cycles have passed and Hotstreak continued to lead the way. Hotstreak was determined to save Mainframe no matter the cost. The loss of Coldspell was already unbearable so he is willing to do everything and anything to save Mainframe. Hotstreak's mind began to race as images and memories were being resurfaced. Coldspell had been a major part of Hotstreak's life. The war had stolen her from him. He failed to protect her and instead she had given her life for him. Hotstreak began to wonder what he had done wrong. He drove away from the battle so he could take on the fliers alone. He led them away from the group so there would be fewer casualties. He was sure at the time he could take the two of them. That was a mistake. He left his troops. He left his fellow soldiers, soldiers who could have easily aided him. He was their leader and he left. Coldspell must have followed him. The chase must have been much too fast to get a shot off on the jets. Coldspell sacrificed her life to save Hotstreak. It was Hotstreak's fault. The guilt hit him hard in the chest. His walk slowed to a complete stop. His optics stared into the ground but he only saw Coldspell's desperation to speak. He knew what she was trying to say. He tried to make her save her strength when he knew it was already too late for her. He just stared back into her failing optics during her last moment. He thought about the words she was trying to get out. He knew she was trying to communicate to him that she loved him but her actions spoke louder than her words.

Hotstreak stands in the darkness like an unmoving statue. His mind is spinning as the world around him sits motionless. "I didn't say I love you." he spoke softly. Silverstream was watching Hotstreak. A part of her wanted to speak out to him but she decided against it. He's an Autobot and is beneath her, if there is something wrong with him he can deal with it. "But what if something is making him act this way?" She thought to herself. She walked over to Hotstreak slowly. She stepped in front of him slightly and stared into his unmoving optics. She waved her hand in front of him. Hotstreak did not react. She placed a hand on his shoulder and nudged him. Hotstreak gave a halfhearted smile without directly looking at Silverstream. Hotstreak walked over to a nearby rock and sat down with a slight grunt. Silverstream gawked at him. "What do you call yourself doing?" She hissed. "Nothing." Hotstreak said meekly. "What is wrong with you?" Silverstream barked. "You wouldn't understand." Hotstreak replied, "I'm just tired." Silverstream placed her hands on her hips and shifted, "More like weak. We should keep moving." Hotstreak leaned back against the nearby wall. "Nope, Energon is about to radiate. Too much exposure will terminate us for sure. We'll be safe here where the Energon level is low." Silverstream looked on with doubt, "How do you know this?" She asked. "I'm a miner I pretty much live in underground places like this. I'm staying here, if you wanna go on be my guest." Hotstreak began to close his optics. "I knew you Autobots were filthy." Silverstream snarled. Hotstreak opened up one optic and looked at Silverstream. "You do realize I wasn't always an Autobot?" Hotstreak's voice began to reveal his annoyance with Silverstream. "Of course I realize that but you do realize if you keep acting smug you'll die an Autobot." Silverstream threatened. "What's the point? The war is above ground not here. I'm just a soldier now nothing more nothing less. What is a soldier without a war? Thanks to all of this fighting there is no going back to my normal life now. I don't even know what you Decepticons are fighting for." Hotstreak's words started to ring in Silverstream's audio receptors. She felt pride in being a Decepticon and she was determined to defend her faction. "We are fighting to restore Cybertron to its former glory! You wouldn't know anything about that would you, you honor less excuse for a trash can." She spat her harmful words at Hotstreak but he seemed unaffected. "What glory? You're destroying the planet." Silverstream began to fume at Hotstreak. "Glory and power Autobot! We will win this war!" Hotstreak scoffed, "And then what? Let's say you win the war and terminate the Autobots then what?" Silverstream stepped closer to Hotstreak. "Then Cybertron will finally be at its final stage of pride and glory! We will finally-" Hotstreak cut off Silverstream, "Genocide? You want to genocide the Autobots then? There isn't gonna be a Cybertron thanks to Megatron infecting the planet's core with Dark Energon!" Silverstream raised her voice, "Well tell me why you Autobots fight so valiantly against us? What are you fighting for? The right to be inferior?" Silverstream finally pushed a button inside of Hotstreak. His circuits began to ignite with rage. Coldspell died protecting him and every other Cybertronian's right to live. "How dare you? We are fighting for peace you fool! We are trying to save Cybertron and even you Decepticons from self destruction! Megatron is insane and he doesn't care about you or your fellow soldiers! What are you going to do once you finally get what you think you want?" Silverstream began to lash back out but stopped. She thought about it. She didn't understand what Megatron really wanted to achieve. She just recently decided to use the war as a medium in which to utilize her hurt and rage for the loss of her sister. "Yeah, you don't even know! You're probably gonna lay around doing nothing. A society full of Decepticons who all have the same beliefs working under an evil tyrant! And those who have the common sense to lash out will be terminated by Megatron and his lackeys. As an Autobot at least I can be an individual. You're just a grunt! Another one of Megatron's pawns. You make me sick! What do I fight for? I fight for freedom and the right to live comfortably! The right to be an individual and most of all I'm fighting for Cybertron!" Hotstreak started to clench his fists with rage. Silverstream soaked in Hotstreak's words. She didn't care about Megatron's war and she didn't care about glory. Her pride had already been shattered and she realized she was holding onto a false sense of security. This Autobot had saved her life. What has Megatron done for Silverstream? Made her a soldier. No, he made her his grunt. He took Slipstream away from her so he could rule. It is too late to turn back now. The best thing Silverstream can hope for now is to rise in the ranks for when Megatron takes rule she can live a good life. Slipstream's death will not be in vain. Silverstream looked Hotstreak in the optics. His blue eyes were glowing brightly in the dark. "Shut up Autobot." She finally let out. "I told you my name is not Autobot, it's Hotstreak." "I don't care what your name is Autobot." Hotstreak just sighed; "Ungrateful-" before Hotstreak could finish the cave began to glow brightly. "What was that?" Silverstream asked. The cave began to shake violently. Rocks started to split and the walls began falling in on themselves. "The Dark Energon has made a lot of these Energon veins unstable. This is the safest spot just relax, it's going to hurt a little bit." Hotstreak said without worry. Silverstream did not think much of it. "If he can handle it I can too." she thought to herself. The cave began reacting more violently and suddenly without warning it happened. Every inch of Silverstream's body began to surge with agony. The pain continued to multiply with intensity as she fell to her knees. She couldn't fight it, she grunted in pain her optics forced themselves closed. She started screaming as loud as her vocalize allowed. The pain lessened suddenly almost to a stop. She began to regain her composure. She opened her eyes and was blinded by the light being emitted from the Dark Energon. She felt warmth on her body. Something was covering her from the Energon assault. The ceiling must have fell in because she realized she was being covered by debris. The rocks were absorbing the Energon and protecting her. She curled her body up tighter and endured the minor pain.

The assault lasted a few cycles and Silverstream was ready to emerge from the rubble. She stood up knocking any debris from her. The Energon was emitting a much brighter light and she could see clearly now. She looked around and noticed Hotstreak on the ground unmoving. "So much for him. It's a shame." She started to laugh but something was off. As she continued to walk away leaving Hotstreak for dead she realized that there was no debris left on the ground.


	14. Troubling Affections

Silverstream stops a few yards away from Hotstreak and stares at his motionless body. It didn't make sense; there was no debris near her. Her eyes widened as she realized the reason why. "He helped me…." She whispers to herself, "He protected me from the Energon." The warmth she had been trying so hard to repress slowly came back, threatening to touch her cold spark. She sat down on the cold ground and pressed her hands to her face. "This can't be happening to me." She cried as the warmth touched her spark.

She looked quickly at the unconscious mech before picking up a pebble and playing with it. She tosses it across the cavern, listening intently to the soft thuds as it bounces. She sticks a clawed finger into the ground, tracing pointless patterns. It was a rare state for the femme to be in. An onlooker would say she looked vulnerable and unsure. No living bot had ever seen her in such a condition. She stares blankly at the ground as an unusual emotion filled her spark. She felt a fondness for the mech. It had grown over the course of their time underground. He was strong and fearless; he didn't tremble near her like many others. He had strong morals and fought for his beliefs. What did she have? In reality she was fighting for nothing. She did not care for Megatron or his goal; she simply fought for the sake of fighting. It brought a thrill to her life. But her time with this mech had started to change her. His defiance to her was intriguing and as much as she denied it, she wanted to see more of him. She was beginning to feel something for the bot. It was a traitorous decision, and if it was discovered she would be terminated on the spot.

Her gaze returned to Hotstreak's unmoving body. She memorized everything from his face down to his feet. Every scratch and dent burned into her sensors. She crawled over to him and slowly reached out her hand to touch his arm. A tingling sensation filled her body as she attempted to shake the mech awake. She quickly removed her hand, receiving no response from Hotstreak. "H…Hotstreak?" She whispers, shocked that his name came so easily off of her vocalizers. He didn't move. "Hotstreak?" She asks again, her voice cracking, making her uncomfortable. She gently touches his face, running her hand down to his chest plate, letting it hover over his spark chamber. She could feel the warmth from his spark and relief filled her, "He's alive" She says to reassure herself.

She then turns her gaze to the Autobot insignia on his shoulder. "As an Autobot at least I can be an individual. You're just a grunt! Another one of Megatron's pawns." His voice echoed in her receptors. He was right. She was simply a pawn, and a powerful one at that. Why should she settle for being a simple grunt when she could be an individual? But that was not the path she had chosen, she chose to be a pawn and right now, she didn't mind, but what would happen when the Decepticons gained control of Cybertron? There would be no chance for individualism. Even so, she had made a choice to join the decepticons, and now she was one of them until her spark was extinguished.

It was then that a very uneasy urge came over her. She leans her face close to his, gaining a closer look at his strong facial features. She moves closer, keeping her lips only slightly away from his. She welcomed the warmth this time as it beckoned her to close the distance. She closes her optics, embracing the warmth she felt coming from his lips. When she opened her optics she nearly died of embarrassment. Hotstreak's piercing blue optics penetrated her striking red ones with confusion. She quickly pulls her face back as Hotstreak sits up, staring awkwardly at her. "What were you doing?" He demands. She stares incredulously at him, "What are you talking about?" He glares at her, "Why were you so close to my face?" "I wasn't anywhere near your face!" she retorted. "You were too! It was like you were about to kiss me or something!" If Silverstream was able to blush, her face would have been completely red. "Uh, uh, n..no I wasn't! I was just checking to make sure you were ok!" She stuttered. He narrowed his optics at her, "Why would you care if I'm ok?" She stared, wide-eyed at the mech in front of her. She needed to think fast. "I need you in order to get out of here." She says quickly. He scoffs, attempting to get up.

A moment of panic flooded her systems as she watched him struggle. "You should really take a minute." She saw conflict in his eyes. Hotstreak was facing an internal struggle, she could tell and she wanted desperately to help him. "No, we need to keep moving or there's no hope for him." She stared intently, "Who?" she questioned. He looked at her, "Why would I confide something like that in you, you'll just sabotage my efforts. That's what you decepticons are good at." She looked away from him and towards the ground. "What's your problem? You're unusually quiet." Hotstreak asks. She was embarrassed. She wanted to offer him help in finding whoever "him" was, but she didn't know how he would react.

"I can help you." She mutters softly. "What?" Hotstreak says, not having heard her words. "I said I can help you." He looks at her, "You're lying." She looks at him straight in the optic, "No I'm not. Who are you trying to save?" She states. That same conflicted look from earlier resurfaced on his features. He stares into her eyes, trying to discover some trace that Silverstream was lying, but he found none. "A friend of mine is being held in the prison in Kaon," He says. "I need to save him." Silverstream knew the prison well, even though she had only been stationed there for a short while. She had a keen memory and therefore remembered every passage and cell. "I know the prison well, very well. I could help you find him." Silverstream says, avoiding eye contact with Hotstreak. He did not answer immediately, and she knew he was confused by her sudden actions.

Hotstreak stares at the silver and purple femme in front of him. Something had changed in her, he could see that. However, he still did not trust her, but there were things about the femme he could not explain. He believed she didn't really need him to escape this cavern; she was strong enough on her own. And he had witnessed her keen senses, so he was sure she would be able to find her way out. And most of all, she had come back and saved his life, and now, she didn't leave him when he was unconscious. She was even offering to help him find Mainframe. It all confused him. She was a Decepticon; she was supposed to terminate Autobots. Perhaps, he though, she had gained the same view as himself. That the war was above ground, and down here they were just soldiers separated from the battles. The war did not matter down here; it was just the two of them in isolation.

"I accept your offer, Silverstream." He says reluctantly. She felt her spark pulse as her name left his vocalizers. "However, I don't trust you. And when we get to the prison, I will keep an eye on you." She nods, not saying a word. "Now let's get moving." He says, pushing himself up using the wall. "Hotstreak, you should really rest a bit," She pleads, taking a step towards her. His optics shot up at her. She stopped as the intensity from his gaze froze her spark. "No, we're moving." He says pushing himself off the wall. He takes a few steps before crashing to the ground. "Hotst…" Silverstream begins, catching herself before the worry in her voice could be made imminent. She forces herself to walk, not run, to the aching bot. "Come on," she says softly, grabbing his arm and putting it around her shoulders. She helps him up, supporting most of his weight and they continue their endless trek through the damp, dark cavern.


	15. A Change of Heart

Hotstreak and Silverstream trudged through the underground caverns together. Hotstreak continues to use Silverstream as a brace as they continue walking. Even though they were touching, there was much distance in between the two. Hotstreak could not help but think that he let his morality get in the way of saving Mainframe. Now the two are moving at a much slower pace than before and he was now reliant on Silverstream just to walk. The two said nothing as they continued to journey. Hotstreak started to think about Silverstream. She was Megatron's grunt and nothing more. The same kind of grunt that kills his friends and family. Hatred started to build in his spark. He quelled the hatred and decided to give her a chance and just hope that it would not lead to his own demise. The weakness left after a few cycles and Hotstreak began to walk to make distance between himself and Silverstream. Silverstream looked over at Hotstreak, "What's wrong?" she asked. "Nothing, I can walk by myself now. Thank you." Hotstreak said continuing to walk. He took a couple of steps and the pain jolted throughout his entire body. He winced in pain and almost fell to the floor. Silverstream stops him from falling by catching him. "Are you alright?" Silverstream asked quietly. "Yeah I'm fine." Hotstreak stood back up brushing Silverstream aside. He stood erect as he began to adjust to the pain. "It'll take awhile before my Energon levels return to normal." Hotstreak continued walking and endured the pain. Silverstream walked closely to Hotstreak to make sure to be there in case of another episode. She watched over him as he continued to travel even though his pain receptors are on fire. "So much for Autobots being weak." She said to herself.

They traveled deeper and cycles later Hotrod was nearly back to full health. "So about your friend, who is he?" Silverstream prodded. Hotstreak did not look back at Silverstream, "He's a friend." Silverstream frowned as she was unpleased by his response. "Well if I'm going to help you I need to know who he is." Hotstreak spoke softly, "I'll tell you what you need to know when the time comes. Until then I have nothing to say to you, unless you're not telling me something I should know. Besides why would you betray your fellow Decepticons over one bot?" Silverstream thought about what Hotstreak had said. "It's not for him, it's for you." The words echoed in her thoughts. She did not say this out loud but she said it within herself almost instinctively. She was confused and sat there flustered. Hotstreak continued walking gazing ahead, "I thought so." Silverstream started to walk slowly to a stop as Hotstreak continued ahead. "Why am I so fascinated with him?" She asked herself. What she did not realize was she was seeing something that was missing in her life. Temperance, compassion, and most of all the ability to walk away from a bad situation. Her thoughts of Autobots and the world were starting to shift and change. Her whole life was spent in Decepticon territory. She based her view of life on the Decepticons around her. She was raised to be merciless and cold hearted yet she was saved by her enemy. She was shown mercy and forgiveness. Although he distances himself from her he showed no ill will towards her. Even in time of weakness he allows no one else to share his burdens. She saw no weakness inside of Hotstreak and she started to feel inferior to him which defied all of her internal logic. His touch quelled her inner rage and all of her negative emotions. She was following him like a lost sparkling and she felt no pride in doing so. She needed to be around him but she didn't want him to lead her around. She is better than him and she felt like he needed to know. But how was she going to prove to him that she is the dominate one? Well one thing is for sure, Hotstreak was relying on Silverstream for information. She smirked to herself, "So why don't you tell me about your friend?" She pried. "I told you I'm only going to tell you what you need to know." she laughed to herself a bit, "Well then I guess this is where we part ways." Hotstreak continued to walk. "Goodluck finding your friend. The POW's have a certain expiration date and I'm guessing your friend will die soon. But you seem to have a handle on the situation." Hotstreak stopped in his tracks. "What? You kill your prisoners?" Hotstreak's voice rose with tension. "What use are they?" Silverstream remarked. "Workers? Servants? You just kill us off? What is the point of capturing us if you're just going to kill us?" Hotstreak shouted. "I don't know. Do I look like Megatron to you?" Silverstream continued smiling as she realized that she now had the upper hand. "I'm just asking you about your friend but if you don't want to tell me I'll just find my own way out." Silverstream turned her back and started to walk away. Hotstreak's hatred began to rise. A part of him wanted to scrap her while her back was turned but he could not bring himself to do that. Him saving her would have just been in vain. He spat at the ground and started to turn away. "Do it for Mainframe." he said to himself. He swallowed his pride and spoke, "Okay, you win. He's a young Autobot who I traveled with and fought with. He's kind of like a little brother to me and after losing my sister I won't let you Decepticons take his spark away." Hotstreak said somewhat defeated. Silverstream grabbed hold of the situation and had Hotstreak in need of her. She took advantage of his situation and no longer has to follow him blindly. "Now, was that so hard?" she laughed while walking back towards his direction. "Let's just keep going." Hotstreak said as they traveled along.

For the past cycle Silverstream was asking many personal questions about Hotstreak and Hotstreak reluctantly responded and answered them all. "How long have you been in the war?" she asked. "Long enough to lose a sister." Hotstreak snapped. "….. I lost a sister too." Silverstream said softly. Hotstreak said nothing at first but turned and looked into her crimson optics, "I'm sorry for your loss." Hotstreak begain to empathize for her. It was sudden and she could see her pain and he felt bad for snapping at her. "War?" He asked. Silverstream just nodded silently. For the first time, Hotstreak looked Silverstream in a different light and began to see her for her physical appearance. His optics zeroed in on her soft features that contrasted with the sharp coloration of her face. He noticed for the first time that Silverstream was quite attractive. Silverstream did not let her face show her sorrow but her optics could not hide her feelings from Hotstreak. Hotstreak began to soften himself for her. He felt his walls coming down as the loss of a sister connected the two of them. Tears began to build up in Silverstream's eyes. She stared as they began to blur her vision. Hotstreak had soothed her pain, however, her own emotions combined with seeing Hotstreak showing empathy brought up the deepest of her locked up emotions. She began to cry silently and Hotstreak grabbed her and embraced her. He hugged her and his warmth made her feel better. She squeezed her arms around him. She did not care about the situation they were in she just used this time to finally have a shoulder to cry on. Hotstreak held her and realized that both sides are probably suffering from the war and he killed many Decepticons himself. He hated the Decepticons but they were blindly following a tyrant looking for false glory. He killed them and it was war. He swallowed his sadness and he would not allow Coldspell's death to be in vain. He loved his sister and he can see that Silverstream loved her sister as well. Love is restricted to no faction. Hotstreak began to break away from the hug as Silverstream's sobs began to quiet down. Silverstream looked down at the ground as Hotstreak stared at her. "We should get moving." Hotstreak said while holding out his hand. Silverstream stared at his hand. All of her training and logic was now questioned. If she takes his hand she will condemn and betray her Decepticon way. If not she will have turned away against the only bot that has shown real compassion for her besides her sister. Soundwave's emotions were pretty generic and he never straight showed concern but she was fascinated by Hotstreak and she could feel the warmth of his spark even when they separated. She quickly regains composure and stared at Hotstreak's hand. She had to make a choice internally.


	16. Fondness

Silverstream stares at his hand before reluctantly taking a hold of it. The anger and coldness that once engulfed her life crumbled and dissipated as she welcomes the invading warmth and comfort of his touch. She knew she had just betrayed her Decepticon ways, and if what had occurred down here was ever discovered she would be terminated by Megatron himself. But at that moment, she did not care. This compassion was something she had longed for her entire life. However, being around hatred and coldness had made her believe it was unacceptable to give or receive such feelings. Now, being away from the war, she no longer cared what was right or wrong according to others. She felt what was right and that was her and Hotstreak. They had been through a lot while trapped underground and her feelings had changed into something brand new. Hatred changed to affection, cold to warmth, and aggression to compassion. The two had been through quite a bit, but they were both alive because of the other, and Silverstream was grateful towards Hotstreak. Hotstreak gave a barely visible smile as he wrapped his fingers around Silverstream's feminine hand. He gave it a reassuring squeeze, receiving a soft smile from the femme. He felt he could open up to her, after all, she opened herself up to him and revealed what was truly inside her spark: pain and sadness.

He viewed her in a different light now; she was no longer just a Decepticon to him. He had witnessed genuine emotions from her, and it was the first time he had seen a Decepticon cry. He was slowly becoming fond of her. She wasn't the same femme that he had originally fallen down here with; she was different, and changing for the better. But he felt a sense of hesitancy; would things go back to the way they were as soon as they returned to the surface?

The attack from the spread of dark Energon seemed to be over as the two became aware of the peaceful atmosphere. Silverstream was particularly aware of the peace. The tension that had once been so thick between the two transformers had completely vanished. There was a link between the two, and they felt connected by the loss of their sisters. "It's actually quite beautiful down here," Silverstream says softly, breaking the silence. Hotstreak turned and looked at her, admiring her features once again; her soft, yet piercing red optics, and the curve of her lips in a soft smile drew his attention. He then looks at the purple Decepticon insignias on her wings. It was stunning, but he much preferred his own Autobot symbol. She was the most beautiful femme he had ever seen.

Neither of the mechs were aware of the blaring red eyes that belonged to the small mechanical bird, recording their every move.

Rocks littered the ground from the previous tremor and Hotstreak and Silverstream stepped carefully around them. However, in the barely lit cave, it was hard to see all the boulders, and Silverstream accidently stumbles and trips. Hotstreak reaches out and grabs her before she can hit the ground. "Careful," he says softly, pulling her back up to her feet. She smiles at him; He is shocked that it is an utterly genuine smile. He smiles back, "Are you ok?" She nods, "Yes….thanks." They stare silently at each other as he keeps his hold on her arms. She gazes into his bright, pure blue eyes, and then slowly looks towards his lips.

She moves her head closer to his, waiting to see if he would retreat. However, he begins closing the distance and she makes the final move, connecting their lips. Her arms lay at her side, but slowly she raises them, placing her hands on Hotstreak's chest. Hotstreak brings his hands up and gently places them on her cheeks. The warmth the two usually felt had now evolved into a burning fire. Silverstream pushes her body into Hotstreak's as he attempts to pull her deeper into the kiss. The steps of an encroaching enemy remain unheard.

A shot echoes through the cave as Silverstream falls, Energon leaking from a wound in her chest. Hotstreak quickly looks up. An unknown mech begins to approach the two. Hotstreak stares; gashes and dents are clear in the enemies armor. "He's not online!" Silverstream shouts. "What? How is that possible?" Hotstreak questions, "Just look at him! He looks like he was offline. He's covered in wounds, and his eyes! They're purple! The surge of dark Energon probably brought him back!" She stands up, ignoring the pain as Energon drips down her body, "And if there's one, there's probably more." The revived mech charges as Silverstream shoots herself towards him at lightning speed, thrusting her strong leg through his head. The bot collapses to the ground motionless. She stands above the offlined body, "Well that wasn't that….." She was thrown to the ground as the body onlined itself, grabbing her legs and yanking it out from under her. It quickly grabs her face as she struggles to coordinate well enough to produce a counter attack. "Hotstreak!" She cries as she attempts the get her powerful legs under the mech's body. Her upper body strength was not enough to throw the bot off of her as he rams his fist into her wound, widening the gash. "Help me!" She yells. He runs over, grabbing the mech and throwing him across the cave. "Come on!" Hotstreak shouts, grabbing her and yanking her to her feet. The two retreat down the ominous cavern.

Hotstreak is keeping a steady pace as Silverstream slowly falls behind. She presses her hand against her chest, attempting to slow the loss of Energon. Hotstreak continues, not noticing that his companion has fallen behind. She stops, clutching her chest as pain runs through her circuits. She had not originally felt that pain, she had been high on adrenaline, but it was catching up to her now. "Hotstr….." She says, falling to the ground. He stops abruptly and turns around. "Silverstream?" He asks, looking at the vulnerable femme. He quickly runs back to her, kneeling down in front of her. He hears a barely audible whimper of pain from the powerful femme. "I'm fine…" She says stubbornly. "Let me see it," he says grabbing her hand, which was now covered in her own Energon, and pulling it away from her wound. He examines the large gash. "You are not fine, come on, I'll carry you." He says. "No, I can walk…" She says using Hotstreak's shoulder to pull herself up, only to collapse back to the ground. Hotstreak gently touches her cheek, "Stop being so stubborn." He says standing up and pulling her onto his back. Worry filled his spark as he felt her Energon running down his back

Meanwhile, Soundwave stands silently, keeping surveillance of Kaon. A loud caw is heard and Soundwave looks up, welcoming the return of his casseticon. "Laserbeak, report on the whereabouts of Silverstream." Laserbeak listens diligently, projecting an image of Silverstream alongside an unknown Autobot. Soundwave stares harshly at the image. He was sure Silverstream was not willing working with the enemy, despite what appeared in the picture. However, that was not what a far more malicious mech thinks as he peers into the room, smiling deviously as he devises a wicked plan .


	17. Resurrection

Silverstream continues bleeding out while being carried by Hotstreak. Her Energon leaking onto his back, Hotstreak begins to journey forth. "What was that thing?" he asks himself. He continued to walk and began to hear loud clanking noises. The sounds surrounded him and soon he felt encircled. From the darkness appeared more lifeless bodies of the offlined Cybertronians. They slowly trudged towards him. "This is like a bad nightmare." He whispered. "Hotstreak…. You have to get us out…" Silverstream murmurs. "I know." He said as his mind began playing different possibilities and outcomes. Hotstreak's eyes lit up. "Hold on tight." He said while transforming. With all of her remaining strength, Silverstream held on dearly to the transformed Hotstreak. Hotstreak ran through the brittle bodies as fast as he could. He drove deeper and deeper and he could see more and more bodies light up as he drove past. "This Dark Energon must have reanimated these ancient bodies." Hotstreak theorized. Their numbers were endless and Silverstream's strength waned. It was useless to continue running. He had to fight them soon. Hotstreak swerved and transformed out of vehicle mode. His blade ejected from his wrist and he was ready to take them. Silverstream lays on the floor watching him, her optics flickering. The lifeless bodies continued after him and Hotstreak engaged them. They swarmed him but he stood over Silverstream, determined to save her. His mind painted the memory of Coldspell's death. He fought valiantly and a few cycles later he was covered in old Energon. New battle scars were made against his armor and he could still hear their slow clanking in the distance. Tired and weak, Hotstreak collects Silverstream and continues onward. Silverstream was nearly lifeless. Hotstreak was not sure if she was even functioning but he was not ready to find out. He held onto the hope he had and continued walking.

Many cycles had passed and Hotstreak's pace slowed to a trudge. His feet dragged against the ground and he was losing the strength to hold Silverstream, who still laid motionless on his back. Hotstreak's foot dragged roughly and he ran out of strength. He collapsed to the floor and Silverstream fell off and rolled next to him. She lay nearly outstretched facing him. He saw her face and the Energon that still flowed out of her body. She opened her optics which were very dimly lit. Mainframe appeared in his thoughts; his youthfulness and ambition could be seen on his metallic face. Hotstreak quietly apologized to Mainframe. Avalanche and Hardwire brought themselves forward in his thoughts. He apologized to them to. He remembered Coldspell's touch and her laugh. He apologized to her and Bumblebee. He would be seeing Coldspell soon. It was war and he was now a casualty. He then thought about Silverstream. He had fought and destroyed many Decepticons. He made many Autobot friends, but Silverstream was his enemy and ally. They spent many cycles together and their bond grew quicker than any he ever had. They gave their lives for each other. He stared at her face and wondered what they would have been if there was no war. What kind of bond would they have then? "If it weren't for the war, we wouldn't be anything. You wouldn't even give me a second glance I bet." Hotstreak said out loud, "After my sister died everything just went downhill. I remember it clearly. You know Silverstream, I think the two of you might actually have gotten along. She would find your grumpiness amusing." Hotstreak managed a smile. "We were in Iacon… fighting off Decepticons… I was under attack by two seekers. I wanted to lead them away and deal with them myself. I was so concerned with the safety of my troops and friends I didn't realize I could of used their help. I was sure I could take the two of them alone. I was wrong…. They were sleek and fast and it almost seemed like they were one in the same. At first I was evading them, but before I knew it I was under attack. The explosion should have killed me. It was definitely overkill. The amount of missiles should have ripped me to shreds. Instead… I was saved. The left over parts… Of my sister were scattered all over me. She died in my arms… Afterwards… I tracked them down and ripped a Null Ray from one of my enemies… And with vengeance I took the head right clean off of one her killers…. We Autobots are not much different than you Decepticons. I enjoyed destroying every Decepticon I ran into after Coldspell's death. I did not care about the war I just wanted to protect my loved ones and kill you all. The war is not only destroying our planet… But it is destroying us Cybertronians too." Hotstreak talked to Silverstream as her optics began flickering very dimly. Silverstream had loss her vision and she found it hard to speak or move. But her audio receptors were working. It was faint, but she was listening to Hotstreak's breathing. When he began talking she tried her hardest to hear him. The pain of losing a loved one is what allowed her to bring her walls down. She allowed herself to fall for him. Her own people took his sister away from him. She felt guilty. She listened on and she understood wanting revenge. She began to put herself in his situation. She would not have left the battlefield to protect others but instead to show pride that she can handle two aerial bots. She imagined the missiles as they tore into Slipstream. Her sister died and crashed to the ground. What would she have done if Slipstream died in her arms? The picture kept replaying in her mind. It started to piece itself together. Her sister died in Iacon. She had her head unit destroyed mid sentence. It happened in Iacon. Coldspell and Slipstream died in Iacon, Coldspell by missiles and Slipstream by a headshot. She slowly pieced it together. Whatever Energon fluid that was flowing within her burned. Hotstreak's soothing voice quickly turned to a sharp whining. Silverstream willed herself to stay online. If she ever got out of this she was going to kill Hotstreak. He took Slipstream away and it is because of him that she is stuck down here. She saved Slipstream's killer. She saved him more than once, and even worse she was falling for him. Silverstream started to hate herself. More than anything she hated Hotstreak. She hated Hotstreak and Coldspell. Hotstreak strength left him as he struggled to get up. Silverstream's eyes kept flickering and her spark was fading. Hotstreak collapsed after managing to stand. The dragging of offlined Cybertronians came closer. He could hear his imminent doom approaching. One appeared then two, then four. He quickly became surrounded by them. Hotstreak's time was near.

Over a dozen Cybertronian bodies surrounded Hotstreak. Hotstreak swung but his arm was caught by one of them. They grabbed his arm and one of them started to try to bite at him. He fought as they struggled to rip him apart. Grunting could be heard and metal smashing against metal echoed in Hotstreak's audio receptors. "Get off of him you bloody monsters!" a deep voice bellowed. The Cybertronian bodies were quickly smashed and beaten. Hotstreak looked up at his savior. "Avalanche?" Hotstreak called out. "The one and only." Avalanche said proudly. "What are you doing here?" Hotstreak asked. "It's a long story, and I could ask you the same thing." Avalanche reached down and picked up Hotstreak. "The girl." Hotstreak stretched out to Silverstream. "I got her." Avalanche picked up Silverstream's motionless body and carried the two bots away.

Avalanche found a nicely lit area and set the couple down. Hotstreak looked at Avalanche closely and his chest had a gaping hole in it that was leaking Energon. "You're hurt." Hotstreak said reaching out. "Yeah those monsters did this. A couple other soldiers and I fell when the planet was shifting. We awoke underground surrounded by these things. They were giving off a lot of Dark Energon readings." Avalanche looks out into the dark before speaking again, "There is something I have to tell you about these things Hotstreak. They have a mean bite. They bit one of the soldiers and he turned into one of those things. The Dark Energon infested inside of him and changed him. Apparently, the unstable raw Energon the planet gives off is too unstable. It can give life to the dead. Well, if you can call those things alive that is." Avalanche's information gave him a quick idea. "If the Energon gives life then maybe we can save her!" Avalanche rubbed his chin, "She seems close to joining the All Spark Streak. I don't think this raw Energon can be controlled. Maybe if Hardwire were here we could do something but he's not." Hotstreak slowly stood up and faced Avalanche. "Look, we have to try. If it weren't for her I would be dead." Avalanche looked Hotstreak in the optics. "Hotstreak…. I'm changing." Avalanche muttered. "Changing? Into what? One of those things?" Hotstreak asked. Avalanche pointed at his chest and nodded. "Got me square on the symbol." Hotstreak examined his chest. The Autobot symbol on his chest was shattered with cracks and red coloring was shifting to a vibrant purple. The Energon was spreading. "I don't want to become one of those things. I have an idea. My spark isn't fully corrupted and it has some of that Dark Energon. Maybe we can-" "Don't say it Avalanche." Hotstreak interrupted. "No, Hotstreak listen to me. I don't know why you want to save her but she must be someone you care about. She saved your life and if you continue to care for her you could end up dead. I don't want to turn into one of those things. It is extremely painful. My spark aches. The pain increases every cycle and I want it to end. I had a good ride but the planet is dying and me and her…. Well we go a long way back." Avalanche forced a smile. "Avalanche, what about us? I can help you! We can find Mainframe and-" Avalanche shook his head. "No. I don't have much time. I lasted about as long as I could. This is as far as I could go. The All Spark brought me to you for a reason Hotstreak. Take my spark and my weapons. I don't know how this war is going to end but I always trust things to end well when you're around. I have no family, no femme, and I was just a miner. You and Hardwire are all I have. I was a great soldier but that means nothing to me. Let me save one of the most important bots in my life. You're going to need help if you want to make it out of here Hotstreak. I know that look on your face…. You can't save everyone Hotstreak. You can't hold everyone's burden. Not alone at least. Let me help you. I want you to take my spark before the raw Dark Energon takes it over. I want to join the All Spark free. Take my spark and use it to save your friend. Hurry before she too joins the All Spark." Hotstreak was frantic, "How do you know the Dark Energon won't just corrupt her too?" "It can't. Most of Megatron's troops are infused with un-raw Dark Energon. The corruption shouldn't affect her. Cybertronians infused with Dark Energon from Megatron seem to be unaffected. Hotstreak, please accept this token. You were the best friend any bot could ask for and I will help you carry your burdens." Before Hotstreak could speak, Avalanched broke through his chest plates and violently ripped out his own spark. In one instant his body powered down and his face offlined. Hotstreak quickly grabbed Avalanche's spark. It was alive and warm. Avalanche laid there unmoving. The only thing left was his signature smile. His face was frozen. Hotstreak could feel the life from his spark. The raw Energon was keeping it alive. Hotstreak could put the spark back inside Avalanche. If he could carry his spark to Hardwire before it was corrupted they could save Avalanche. They could put his spark in a new body and contain the corruption. If he were to do that, Silverstream would die. "Avalanche why did you put me in this situation!" Hotstreak cried, "I could save you! You're spark is still alive I could save you!" Hotstreak's optics teared up. He felt Avalanche's bare spark in his hands. He felt Avalanche much like he felt Coldspell die in his hands. He looked over to Silverstream whose spark was fading. He stared at Avalanche and stood up. He gripped the spark and walked over to him. "Thank you, old friend." Hotstreak stared at his expression. He wore that smile for most of his life cycle. Hotstreak carried his spark over to Silverstream. He opened up her chest plates. He saw her small and withering spark. "How am I supposed to do this?" He questioned. "I guess I'll just touch them." Hotstreak placed Avalanche's spark onto Silverstream's. Silverstream's spark engulfed the Dark Energon as Avalanche's spark began to fade away. Light particles floated upward and Hotstreak looked as the lights rose to his optics. "Goodbye Avalanche." he said softly. Silverstream's spark began to brighten and grow. He closed her chest plates and her optics began to glow vibrantly. Her wounds began healing rapidly and her Decepticon symbol burned with purple. Silverstream awoke looking optic to optic with Hotstreak.


	18. Bonds are Forged

Silverstream stares at Hotstreak, rage building in her circuits. She furiously grabs his shoulders and slams him against a nearby wall. "HEY!" He yells confused, stumbling to get up, "What are you doing?" She snarls, "You….you killed my sister! You killed Slipstream!" She throws him across the cavern before collapsing to the ground. "You killed her!" She cried, her rage slowly turning to devastation. Hotstreak stares at her. "You shot her head off! Well you know what? I killed your sister! I killed Coldspell!" His mind begins to race, "You killed Coldspell?" he asks. She glares at him, "Yes. I don't know why I let myself have feelings for you, Autobot. But I think now is the time we go our separate ways." He groans as he pulls himself up off the ground, "I hope those creatures get you." He says angrily. She stands up and begins walking away, glancing at the offlined body of Avalanche leaning against the wall. "You should thank him before you stomp off. He's the reason you're alive." She stops and looks back at Hotstreak, "What does it matter, he's dead now." Hotstreak glares at her, "He's dead because he gave his spark to you. I could've saved him and left you dead down here. Think about that."

Silverstream felt truly conflicted. She wanted to walk away from this, from Hotstreak, from the war, but there was no escape. Tears began falling from her optics, "You should've just let me die." She whispered, "I hate this war, it's pointless now, the planet is going to die, and us with it. You should've just left me down here. What do I have? My sister is dead, I could've joined her. I could have been happy….." "That's enough, Silverstream." Hotstreak interrupts, his anger dissipating. "No! I'm speaking the truth!" She snaps, "You…you have friends that love you, I have no one!" "You have me." He says suddenly. Silverstream frowns, tears still running from her optics, "You said yourself, if it weren't for this war, we'd be nothing. We should be nothing, we're enemies. You're an Autobot and I'm a Decepticon, it can't work with us." Hotstreak looks at the vulnerable femme before him. She was speaking truth, but even though he had spoken those words, he wanted to prove them wrong. "It can work." Silverstream looks at him as he leans against the wall to support his weakened body. She wanted to reach out to him, to help him and feel his warmth. He had shown her compassion, had saved her life, and even if she had nothing to live for, she was grateful to him.

"Come here," Hotstreak says. Silverstream looks away from the mech in front of her, "No." "I wasn't asking you Silverstream, come here." She frowns, fighting between her logical thoughts and her emotional desires. "Hotstr…" "Come here Silverstream." He demands again. She takes a stubborn step towards him. He reaches out his hand to her. "We can't be anything." She says, "Shut up!" he retorts, reaching out and grabbing her hand, pulling her to him.

He didn't want to have feelings for her either, especially now that he knew she had killed his sister. But he had killed hers in return, and right now, she was one of the few things he had left to hold on to. Avalanche was gone, Coldspell was gone, Mainframe could be too. His friends were dying, but she was still here. She was alive, and he couldn't deny the feelings growing in his spark. He wanted her.

He wraps his arm around her waist, keeping her close. She reluctantly places her hands around his torso. He rests his head on her shoulder. She places her head on his chest, looking at the Autobot symbol on his shoulder. She gently reaches up, touching it. "You should join the Autobots," Hotstreak whispers to her. She quickly pulls her hand away, "I can't do that." "Yes you can!" "No Hotstreak!" She says trying to pull away from him, only for him to pull her in closer. He leans his back against the wall of the cavern, wrapping his other arm around her slim figure. She returns her head to his chest, listening to the soft purr of his spark.

A cackle of sparks interrupted the soft symphony and she pulls her head back, inspecting the wounds covering Hotstreak's body. She notices many broken wires. "I can fix those." She said, motioning to his severed circuitry. "Yeah? That'd be great." Hotstreak says, letting Silverstream go and sitting down against the wall. She kneels down between his legs, pulling his arm towards her and beginning the task of reconnecting his broken circuitry.

"You should be feeling better soon," She states. He smiles at her, "Thank you." She smiles softly, looking down. He reaches his hand out, touching her face plates. He admired her soft features, wondering how someone so beautiful could have such a cruel façade. "I've seen the real you, Silverstream." She looks away, "You saw the real me on the battlefield, that's who I am." He shakes his head, "No, the real you is right in front of me, you're vulnerable. You're not as cruel and vicious as you like to pretend." She frowns, keeping her optics off his. "Look at me," He says turning her face so that she is forced to look him in the optics. "You're beautiful, and you can love and show compassion. You just needed the right bot to bring that out of you." She thought back to the first time she had seen Hotstreak, "You know, I've seen you before. It was right after Soundwave attacked you and your friends. You were unconscious. You were the most handsome mech I've ever seen." He rubs his thumb on her cheek.

She leans forward, pressing her lips against his. He grunts softly, his body still in pain and recovering and she quickly pulls back, "I'm sorry," she says. "Don't," He says reaching up and giving her another kiss. She climbs on top of him, leaning down to close the distance between their bodies. He pulls away, "I'm fine, you did a great job repairing me. I didn't know you knew how to do things like that." She smiles, a genuine smile that warmed Hotstreak's spark. "When I was younger I wanted to help others. I wanted to be a medic so I trained under some skilled mechs for a few years." She states. "Why only for a few years?" Hotstreak asks, placing his hand gently on Silverstream's waist. Her smile instantly disappears and is replaced by a frown.

Hotstreak knew he had brought back some painful memory in the femme, "Silverstream?" He asks. She looks at him; anger is evident in her optics. "I realized how ungrateful others are. No one cares about if you help them, so what's the point. It only messes things up for you," She hisses. Hotstreak stares at her, wondering what was running through her mind. She had wanted to help others, so she hadn't always been so cruel and vicious. He wanted to know every last detail about the femme in front of him. "What happened?" She doesn't respond, attempting to remove herself from him. "No," He says pulling her back down. She scoffs, "That's none of your business, Autobot." Hotstreak rolls his optics. He places his hand on her cheek, "I thought we were done with this 'Autobot Decepticon' thing. We're more than that." He states. "No we're not," She replies. "Stop lying to yourself, Silverstream," He says running his hand up her body. She holds back a shudder of pleasure, involuntarily moving her hips against his. He groans softly, "Stop trying to distract me," He says smiling. "You started it," she retorts. "If you want to tell me you can. You can confide in me, I'm here for you now." He says. She sighs, looking away from him, "I was raised in Kaon. Well, more like I raised myself and my sister…" She trails off, tears forming in her optics once again. Hotstreak quickly wipes them away. "It was a rough life; I had to protect myself and my sister on multiple occasions. I went to an esteemed combat academy, all while learning how to be a medic on the side. One day I was walking home…I saw a young femme being attacked…I stepped in to help her, but she just ran away …and I ended up getting beaten for her. She ran away…when I stepped in to help her, she didn't help me. After that I decided to never help anyone besides my sister and Soundwave." Hotstreak looks at her, "But you helped me, why?" He asks.

Shuffling was heard from the darkness. Silverstream pulls herself off of Hotstreak. "Up there!" Hotstreak says pointing towards a hole near the ceiling, "It looks like some kind of passage, you can use your thrusters to get us up there, and we should be safe from these monsters." Silverstream looks towards the ceiling. She wasn't sure if she would be able to carry him all the way up, he was bigger than her and she didn't have much upper body strength. She stares, thinking of a plan. Her legs were strong, if she could jump almost halfway up and then engaged her thrusters she would make it. "Ok," She says nodding her head. He leans down, grabbing Hotstreak under his arms. She bends at her knees, gathering all her strength before shooting towards the ceiling, "Why aren't you using your thrusters?" Hotstreak cries, she looks down at him smirking, "What's the matter? Scared of heights?" He glares playfully at her, "No!" She engages her thrusters, giving them the final boost to reach the new area.

Silverstream lets go of Hotstreak. She looks into the depths as she hears running water. "It sounds like there's a waterfall nearby," she says striding forward. Hotstreak diligently follows her, examining her slim figure from behind. He looks past her noticing a light near the end of a tunnel. Silverstream begins to run, "Maybe we can finally get out!" She cried excitedly. Hotstreak's strong stride turns to a slow trudge as he begins to think of what would happen once they left this cave. Surely they would go their separate ways, Silverstream would return to the Decepticons, Hotstreak to the Autobots. Silverstream stops when she enters the large circular room. She looks up, seeing a stunning waterfall falling from a small hole. Her hopes of escape were crushed, "I guess we're not getting out this way…" She says, disappointed. Hotstreak walks up next to her, "At least we'll be safe for awhile." He reaches down and grabs her hand, smiling at her. She returns it before jumping onto him and giving him a hug, causing them both to fall to the ground. She lets out a soft giggle, rubbing her face against his chest plates. He smiles, pulling her face closer to his. "What's going to happen to us when we get out Silverstream?" She frowns, "I don't know Hotstreak." She sits on his lap, her legs on either side of his waist. "You're an Autobot at spark," Hotstreak says. She felt her spark skip a beat, "No I'm not Hotstreak. I will always be a Decepticon." "Just because you are physically a Decepticon doesn't mean you're not an Autobot at spark." Silverstream began to become frustrated. "Enough talking Hotstreak," She says leaning down and kissing him.

He places his hands on her hips, running one to her chest plates. She nibbles on his lower lip, receiving a soft moan from his vocalizers. She could hear the rev of his spark increasing as their bodies created friction and heat. She rubs her chest against his. "What are we doing Silverstream?" Hotstreak asks, holding back a moan as Silverstream runs her hand down his chest plate. She sits up, pouting. "Well I guess nothing now," She says crossing her arms. "Stop that," he says, rolling them over so he was on top. She snarls aggressively, "What's the matter Stream?" He mocks, "Don't like not being in command?" She narrows her eyes at him. "Relax, we're not enemies anymore, you don't have to fight me," He says, pinning her arms down. He gazes down at her, "I've never felt this way about anyone." Her gaze softens as she leans towards his audio receptors, "I want to bond." Hotstreak wasn't shocked by this, he wanted it too. He wanted someone to be close to him, someone that would be his; forever. He wanted her. He wanted to show her there was more to a life cycle than killing and war. "I want you to have me, Hotstreak," she whispers softly, opening her chest plates and revealing her spark. He gazes upon the most intimate part of the femme's body. Her spark, which was tinted purple, shone brilliantly in the poorly lit cavern. His cooling engines roared as he tried to calm himself. "Silverstream I…." "Shhh…" She says cutting him off. She grabs his hand and pulls it towards his spark, "Touch me, Hotstreak." He reaches out, letting the tips of his fingers graze her spark. A rush of excitement fills his circuits as Silverstream squirms in pleasure. He repeats the action, a little more confidently this time and leans down to kiss her. She moans into his mouth, reaching up and grabbing onto his shoulders. "Hotstr…." She cries as his strokes become more aggressive. He sits up, receiving a disappointed look from Silverstream. He smiles, letting his chest plates open. The glow from his shining blue spark illuminated her curves. She leans up, running her hands over his spark. He groans in pleasure, grabbing her arm and pulling her close to him. Her face was inches from his spark and she leans in, pressing her lips against it. He puts his hand on the back of her helm, pushing her closer as he moaning in bliss, "Silverstream…." She leans back down, shortly followed by Hotstreak.

She closes her optics, attempting to calm her roaring circuitry. She feels the heat from Hotstreak's spark as he leans closer. "I want you as my bondmate, Silverstream. Open your optics." She soaks in the sound of his voice before slowly opening her optics. She nods as he closes the distance. Wires and cable shoot from their bodies, connecting their sparks ad fusing them into one. Silverstream wraps her legs around Hotstreak's waist, arching her back and letting out a scream of passion that echoed through the cavern. Hotstreak buries his face in his mate's shoulder. Pleasure racked their bodies, leading them to inevitable overload. Silverstream no longer knew who she once was as her spark bonding with Hotstreak. She felt new meaning in her life, she had someone to live for, to love and protect. She felt the same warmth from earlier, but now it flowed through every last circuit in her body. Hotstreak lets out a moan of euphoria, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her closer.

They felt as though their bodies were melding into one as their sparks bonded. A final cry of ecstasy was followed by overload. Hotstreak lies on top of Silverstream, who is staring off into the distance. He slowly pulls himself up and looks down at her. She remains motionless, staring up at the sky that could be seen through the small hole. Hotstreak becomes worried, "Silverstream?" She places a finger over his lips. "I never thought I would bond with a mech…" She whispers, "You've changed me Hotstreak, thank you." He smiles, kissing the finger covering his lips. "I'm yours forever." He says.


	19. Personal War

Centuries have past and the names Hotstreak and Silverstream have been nearly forgotten; A new age of sentient beings have taken over Cybertron. A young small mech has been diligently working to discover ancient Cybertronian histories. He works hard trying to reconfigure a lost piece of technology recently dug up. An audio log that may discover many inventions or at least the culture of the last age of Autobots and Decepticons. After many hard cycles of restless nights and hard work, he finally completes his project. The audio recorder plays but there is heavy static.

"…. Whatever started in that place has come to an end. I can feel myself dying as each cycle dreadfully passes on. I don't know how much more my spark can take. I can feel it grow weaker…. I was never known to stop fighting. Not in the war and I won't stop now. I'm determined to…" The audio machine stops playing for a moment as the small bot beeps with much gusto working to get it back on track. "…. Or I'll die trying. This life is just not worth living if I don't," the audio machine dies again. Circuits are fried and the entire message is lost forever. The small bot is greatly frustrated by this. He tosses it aside as it skids across the floor. The door to the room slides open and the light form outside pierces through the darkness exposing the small mech as he sulks from within the messy room. "Ugh…" A small femme peaks in, "… Redo… I think it's time you called it quits for today… I'm getting worried about you…." She mutters hesitantly. Redo gets up quickly, "You…. You don't understand my love. This is everything. This…. This is my life's work. Everything I worked for is here. I need to search for more. I'll be back Juno," he leaves the room with much haste. Juno reaches out wanting to call for him but she does not. She is left alone. She wanders into the musky room picking up the large recording device. She looks it over and plays it.

Redo's optics flicker, his body starting to rust and his chrome starts to lack the luster it originally had. He picks and digs into Cybertron's earth trying desperately to find something; His optics gleam from the planet's sun. His smirk is wide and his head is held high.

Cycles later, Juno rolls over in her girth. The emptiness aches her spark. She gets up to find her lover. Many clanks and zips are heard throughout the hall echoing from Redo's lab. She sighs and makes her way to Redo's study. He is tinkering with another audio recorder and with his genius abilities he fixes it. Juno listens in the shadows as an ancient voice is heard. "Betrayal…. How could this happen. I should of known she was going to do this I was a fool to trust her. But…. I love her. Her pleads of forgiveness and the panic in her voice was enough to crush me. No matter what I can't bear to see her hurt. All is forgiven but I refuse to let this happen again. She won't ever forget. I don't mind her being on the other side but I refuse to bear arms against her. I'd be squeezing my own spark seeing her get hurt. It's time to move on, I'll be seeing her soon and I need to look my best. Although we are in times of war and I've lost so much I'm overjoyed to find happiness in this hateful and twisted war." The recording ends. Redo's eyes light up. Without rest, he heads back out once again. He doesn't even notice Juno on his way out. Juno looks into the room. She approaches the audio receiver and looks on. "….Love." she smiles to herself.

The cycles have not been kind to Redo. He is worn down and one of his optics is without illumination. It does not hinder his work as he now has many recordings of the ancient Autobot's recovered. Juno watches Redo worried and greatly frightened at his self destructive behavior. "Redo… You've done so much, why don't you come rest with me." She pleads softly. Redo says nothing. She creeps over to him softly and gently. "Please Redo," She beckons touching his shoulder. Redo turns around quickly forcing Juno to the ground. "Leave me alone you stupid femme you have no idea how close I am! You should not even be here! Do not interrupting me while I work again Juno." His last optic flickers vigorously. Juno looks down with submission. "I-I was just worried…. worried about you." She mutters. Her vocalizer is unheard as Redo returns to his work.

Later that night Juno awakens to the very familiar sound of Redo leaving. Juno watches him leave with his tools. He is going back for more digging. She looks on and walks to his study. She steps over a lot of trash in the room. She grabs a recording and turns it on. Her Optics burning brightly with interest. It turns on, "I have finally decided what to fight for. What to live for. Her love. I will die defending it. She makes my life complete. My spark yearns for her and this war is killing me. I know that if we can survive the war then I can wake up to her beautiful face every day. Her ideals… I don't really like them but I know I can show her that there are other ways. I'll teach her to understand I can change her for the better. I don't like that she is a Decepticon but I trust her…. The only thing that scares me... is.. What if she chooses the Decepticons over me? She said I was the most important thing to her in the galaxy. I can honestly say that there is no being or anything out there that is above her. I love you Silverstream. I don't care what my comrades say you bring me the only happiness in my life. You and your happiness is all I need. Your temper tantrums are cute, your strong personality is admirable, I sense no weakness. You may be a bit lost but as long as we are honest about everything. I promise to never hold anything against you. If you want to find another bot on your side to make things easier I will respect that. Your happiness can still bring me happiness in even the most dark of hours. My sparkmate how I love you." Juno smiles, "Sparkmate." She smiles. Her own spark yearned for the love that was depicted. "How lucky a femme you must've be Silverstream." She returns to her girth fearing to be caught by redo. She lays down thinking of a bot like Hotstreak. She wishes for a cycle that she could have what Silverstream had.

Redo returns with more gadgets. Juno does not interrupt him as she longs for him to continue his work. She waits for the night cycle and sneaks into his study while hes away. She grabs the next recorder with excitement. "Evacuate Cybertron? So much time spent away from her. I have no doubt in my mind that once we find each other again we can reconnect. No doubt. We send each other transmissions privately and I can tell that this distance is having a great effect on her. It pains my spark to see her hurting. I can't reach out and grab her. Each time it happens my spark gets closer to going offline. I hate myself for letting her take the heat. She feels awful for her betrayal. It is really a minor betrayal. I don't want her to feel bad about it… But at the same time…. I don't want her to do it again. She's becoming more hostile towards me and I've never seen this before, more distant, more silent. We spent many cycles without saying a word. I can sit on the comm forever, just knowing she's on the other end warms my spark. That is how I know it is real. I love her and she doesn't have to say a single word to me. Her presence is good enough. However, she seemed to be upset about something and wouldn't tell me. She doesn't seem to want to open up to me. I don't know what I did to make her distant but I will rectify it. I let her go but a part of me is saddened and hurt." Juno's eyes fill with a touching sadness, "Poor bot she's just hurt is all." she whispers as she touches her spark. "It must be great to get that much dedication and love." she returns to her girth. As she powers down her mind wanders.

Juno continues to watch Redo, hoping for him to leave. His temperament has become rasher and he seems nearly dangerous. Juno can feel herself losing interest in Redo. She no longer cares for his well being as long as he continues to unearth the story of lovers. Cycles pass and Juno finds her chance to sneak in. She grabs the next recording and plays it. "Silver… You've become so cold and distant, aggressiveness and hatred in your words. What have I done to you? I don't blame you for your betrayal the war confuses us. I haven't been perfect myself. I've been tempted too. I'll confess this to you and I know this confession will bring us to the same level. I'm not perfect Silverstream. I have been tempted to betray your love near the start of our bond for another but I refused. I never took the action but the thought flickered in my mind. For you I would do anything. I hope this works and you can trust me. I will never hold anything back for you. I know you're having rough time so I won't even bother telling you how the femmes on this ship are soft on me. I won't even be bothered with them because I have all I need in you. I can't wait till I see you Silverstream we will make it." Juno smiles, "I don't really like that he has temptations… A love like that should be just for Silverstream. He kept that from her… To protect her… This bot may not be perfect but his values and his love for her is strong. I hope this works for you." she looks at the next recording eager to grab it. She looks behind herself. Her spark flickers. "I don't know if I have time for another…" She thinks, without much thought she grabs the other recording.

"Her betrayal eats at me. Why me? I wasn't good enough….. Why can't I be good enough? It hurts… It's been cycles but I can feel it eating my spark. I just want to know why. That is all. I want to know why. She won't talk to me but she talks to her Decepticon comrades. I'm not as important… Just a stupid miner who thought he was someone… I risked a lot to be with her and shamefully I feel hatred. I am not strong enough. I don't want to despise her. I must know. I will get the answer I'm looking for and find peace with her. She will tell me the truth. I trust her…" A silent pause, "She refuses to tell me anything. Almost as if she is hiding something. Her verbal abuse is getting to me. I need to go spar or train to get it off my mind. I hope to the matrix she isn't going behind my back. I find myself being more self conscience about her actions. She spends a lot of time with Soundwave. Soundwave who is there physically, something I can't do for her right now. What if….. My feelings never wavered but lately… She's been so cold and hateful. I'm doing my best to hold my tongue but I need to tell her how she is acting: Immature and untrusting. I can never say bad things about her and I won't. I can hold out….." Juno's face saddens. Her spark slightly melting, "Poor bot. She feels the same way. A bot like you? What femme doesn't want that? Hopefully she'll tell you how she feels and you can work around that." Juno continues to listen. "She… She thinks I'm sharing my spark… She really thinks I'm sharing my spark. How stupid of her. I have been loyal to her. I've lied to my comrades for her safety. Sold out some of my own people for her and she dare questions me? As much as that hurts me I must persevere. I promised her I'd always love her. I intend on keeping that. It would be easier to let her go now. I don't care what is easy. Silverstream is the most important thing to me. During battle I wish she could see how fiercely I've learned to fight. If only there was a way to see her….." The message continues once more, " Over…. It's over…. I just wanted to give ourselves time away. To calm down… Over… This is not what I wanted. I spend a lot of my time communicating with her when I can. I don't have the courage to tell her or to even ask for personal time with my new comrades. I found friendship and happiness in them. But it doesn't matter. I failed her and myself. I nearly forgotten who is the most special cybertronian to have crossed my optics. I will win her back, my spark aches. I won't live without her, I won't….." Juno's optics tear up. She gets up to return to her Girth. "What….. Are you doing…. Touching that?" Redo asks his last optic flickering. "Redo… I … I-I was only listening to the," She was cut off. Redo had stuck her. She holds her cheek as she lies on the ground looking up with terror and slight hatred. "Get out of my way you stupid femme." he throws her aside. Juno runs to her chambers crying. She cradles her knees, "I hate him… So much. I wish I were Silverstream." she cries.

From then on Juno stayed away from Redo. She yearned to hear the end of the story but dare not go near Redo. She went many Cycles and her mechanical body has aged. Redo has reverted to using aid to get around. His last optic barely lit. One night he leaves. Juno starts her ritual of finishing the story of the star crossed lovers each ending with a happy ending. She works up enough courage to return to his studies. The door slides open and the smell is horrid. "Ugh.' she slightly gags. She rushes over to the recordings all of them still placed where she left them. She reached for the next recording. After all those cycle she still remembered. It turns on, "Earth… we've landed on earth many years ago apparently. Let me tell you it was great waking up. Even better I got to see Silverstream again. My spark is overjoyed. I'm happy to return not to solid ground, but to my one true love. I can't wait to feel her femme touch and gaze upon her. Chrome is going to be glad to hear this…. Actually with our history it's best we didn't. As much of a skid mark it would make me… I have to let her go. She's helped me understand Silverstream as a femme when I was lost. I know Silverstream won't like that I've confided in Chrome about us. I'll tell her eventually. I refuse to ruin our happiness at the moment." Next entry is heard, "Our meeting wasn't as great as I'd hope… Our two sides had to fight but it is bittersweet. I see she hasn't forgotten our love. I can spend a few cycles with her before the Autobots and Decepticons decide what they want to do. I pray hard for Megatron to agree for peace but I know it won't happen. I've tried to convince her to join me but it is no use. I have no choice but to respect this but my patience is wearing thin. I'll get over it. Things are tough but at least I have her love and care. Sometimes I think we aren't truly made for each other…." Juno's spark flutters. "I hope all ends well." she grabs the next one. Takes a deep breath, and plays it. "Silverstream contacted me…. I have never heard so much rage in her voice. I've been such a letdown lately to her. My fear of letting her down kept me from telling her that I would not be able to show up to meet her a few times. I know she's upset and has every right to be mad at me. I told her and myself I wouldn't contact her teammate or not. I… I was just happy to see her find someone. I was happy to help her as she helped me. Silverstream would have found out anyway but I would of told her. I couldn't dare risk losing her over trivial things. I should have told her as soon as it happened. I've betrayed her. Even worse Chrome… embraced me. It was awkward but she had been kind and I know Silverstream found other bots to confide in even to my dismay. Trivial… Or so I thought. I hurt her pride…. One of her most powerful traits. Her screams pierced my spark with every harsh word. I promised to spend alone time with her. Take her to her favorite mountain even if I find mountains distasteful… Seeing as how I'm not a flyer. I need to make it up to her. I do find it a bit silly that she's taking a hug so seriously. No worries I'll make it up to her." The next segment continues. "Using the disguise Hardwire gave me I was able to sneak into a Decepticon celebration…. The fools actually celebrate the battle they won on Cybertron. I showed up for Silverstream. Being around those idiots was worth seeing her. She looked good with that polished coat. Never have I seen such an elegant femme. I could sense her disdained feelings for me. She was not very kind to me but it did not matter. I was glad to have her attention and for her to not be mad at me. A few cycles later I also attended some kind of Decepticon ceremony. I like to call it, let's pick Megatron's favorite kiss up, but Silverstream took it with some regard. As expected she lost to Starscream, whom she hated greatly, and surprisingly she was not that upset. I was proud of her. Her beauty grew more that day and I longed for the day we could officially belong to each other. When I returned to my quarters I was informed that a bot had been harassing her. Unwanted compliments and advances. My spark burned with rage. No one harasses my Silverstream. I found it odd that she couldn't handle it herself so it must have been serious. She wanted to take Hardwire's disguise program and pose as my Decepticon alter-ego to scare him off. I found it very hard to believe that Silverstream would be intimated by someone or lack the ability to tell him off. I started questioning her but she said she was too small of a femme to handle it. Reluctantly, I agreed for her sake. This was all too suspicious but I swallowed it. As she returned with the results, the fool had the nerve to tell me I'd need back up. Never in my life had I been so blinded by bloodlust. I knew that Silverstream would not have represented me to my liking and no one was going to continue to harass my Silverstream. My intuition never fails me and for many more cycles I began to suspect Silverstream of deception. Her story does not add up. She's very defensive and informative about it all. It ate my spark and I needed to know the answer. I devised a plan. Since her dealings were from radio transmissions, that can be stored and saved, I devised a simple ruse. I was not to keen on lying to her but I had to know the truth. I had to. A part of me hated myself for doing this. I had to know if my lover was keeping things from me. She had a habit of keeping things from me when she would suspect me of treachery. It must be a Decepticon thing. Well, I told her one of our operatives who keeps our secret hidden; I never told anyone about us, had intercepted the messages between them. My spark sank when Silverstream responded with worry and despair. I had earlier accused her of not telling the entire truth. She admitted to letting his advances continue because of her anger at the hug Chrome and I shared. His words were wishes to spark bond with her, taking what I had shared with her and only her. The thought of someone telling her that he wants to intertwine his spark with her's was sickening. The fact that she did nothing to stop it was devastating. What I found out next crushed me and the relationship between us. Against my better judgment, I trusted her. I trusted her to tell me the truth. When my fears began engulfing my trust I simply lied to her. For the first time. The worst night cycle of my life cycle I tell you. Shame, hurt, and disgust. Silverstream lead him on. He was a pathetic bot too. Literally the filth of our race. She let someone like that advance on her and she welcomed it. She pleaded that it wasn't serious. I would never know. Even though she forced me not to have any contact with any femmes I ever had feelings for, serious or not, she was talking to an old flame. I'm not threatened by either…But the hurt and deception overwhelmed me. My spark only yearned for hers and it was something we shared. To me it was sacred. She pleaded that she did not actually return any serious wanting but I would never know as I had never heard or saw the conversation. It hit me hard. She was doing this when she told me she felt closer to me….. All this time… I held her so dear and near. Just to find out that at the peak of her affection she would lead on another bot to her spark. A worthless scum of a bot , too. My spark couldn't take it anymore. Hatred poured into my heart. I said things to Silverstream I am ashamed of. I wanted revenge but I would never actually do so. Not only was at an all time low I sunk even lower. I pretended to be an old friend of mine to make Silverstream jealous. My revenge did not satisfy me. I felt… I felt like nothing. I wanted to know that I was still worth something. That another femme would look my way. I felt ugly and worthless. Every day my spark ached. I would lie to Silverstream and make up conversations that never really happened just so she would feel how I felt. It was the dumbest thing I've ever done in my life cycle. I just couldn't let her go. I knew I had to let her go but I could not. She did not even share anything physical with him I can't process why this hurts so much. Maybe this is how she felt when Chrome embraced me. We once shared something small but it was long gone. I tried to assure Silverstream of this. My spark ripped in half over a hug. The pain is too much to bear…. I'm going to tell Silverstream goodbye… And offline myself." The message ends.

Juno's mouth is gaped open. "Poor bot. I'm sorry she hurt you. But, just like you she did shameful things… To keep you… Love can hurt. It's not about trust. Love can last but it can hurt too. I've learned that in a way much worse than you have bot. I still love that old fool. It's why I'm still here. If only they knew. Throwing their love away for something silly. Love or pride. It's a simple answer for me. Love. I may be a fool but the bot I love is still here. The small amount of love I have left is better than being alone with my pride. Especially if I had a love like theirs. I would throw my spark into the sun before I gave up something like that." Juno starts silently crying. "Silverstream, I hope he doesn't hurt you. You are lucky to have him. He doesn't know it yet but he's lucky to have you. You could have done so much worse….. Redo… I wish he did what you did instead of hit me and abuse me… Trivial." the tears continue flowing as she reaches for another message.

"I won't offline myself. I never had the intention. I can't hurt Silverstream like that. I'd rather live my life in solitude then leave my death on her head. I don't want to talk to her though I can't. I'm too ashamed. I feel so ugly and worthless. She doesn't love me. I was thinking I could move on. But… It's not love I want…. It's her love and attention. I want to be the bot of her dreams. I shall return to her." The message continues, "I have agreed to stay with Silverstream. It's really hard because I can't look at her without seeing him…. I hate him. I hate her for bringing him into our lives. Now he is threatening her life. How dare she endanger her life for something stupid! She is such a damn fool! If he ever shows his face I'll spill his circuits from his optics. Not only that but I never back down from a fight. Especially when Silverstream is on the line. I don't care if I hate her or if I don't want to see her. I'll go to her any night she needs me." Juno smiles. "When I look at Silverstream…. I see him…. When she tells me she loves me I think back on her past behavior. Maybe what we found under Cybertron was just impulsive…. Maybe she never really loved me… Every time she betrays me her excuse is she didn't love me enough. How can you admit something like that to someone? I hate my ugliness. I hate to admit it but the compliments from my Autobot femmes make me feel good about myself. Like I can move on….. But I won't. I promised I'd love her forever and this pain is worth it."

The message skips, "I called it off again. The ugliness in my spark grows. Hateful words. I hate her. I hate that I hate her. I'm so mean to her and the sad thing is… I'm pathetic. I enjoy her pain. I hate it and I hate myself. No one should ever feel like this. I'm too pathetic to stop making her hate herself. Misery loves company and no matter how hard I try to get over it, the ugliness grows. I want to end it. End my suffering. My love drains for her and I no longer feel needed in this world. I've seen the best of life and I'm content in ending it. I made a promise to her that I would do no harm to myself. I've been sentenced to surveillance due to my lackluster performance in battle lately. It is boring. No more pain, no more adrenaline, nothing to get my mind off of the pain in my spark. The ugliness grows and the only thing that stops it is her presence. I need to be with her." Juno pauses the message, "Ugliness…. I don't understand now. Maybe this isn't a story of true love. I feel the ugliness in my own spark. I hate redo. I would never purposely hurt him… But his betrayal is different. He comes home to me. His passion is for these recordings and history. He's never told me he hated me…. He's never purposely intended to hurt me emotionally… Physical pain is different. I yearn for his affection but at the same time I know no one else is getting it either. He comes home to me and is honest to me. Poor bot. Physical pain… I also prefer it. She continues the message, "It's been cycles and paranoia has settled in. I can't be sure if she's with another bot. I'm not good enough. Too ugly. The other femmes can't see it. I know she can I've shown her. I'm no good for her. But, I can't let anyone else have her! I'm crazy… I need to keep my calm in front of the others…. I need to check up on her. I'm such a lowlife… Spying on her… So shameful… I wish someone would end me already. I need to protect her from myself. I can accept her hating me… I can't let her go she needs to do it for me. She's stronger than me she can move on. I can't and I don't have the slaggin' nerve to tell her! I'm crazy. I'm mad. I need to go out…."

Juno stares as the messages comes to an end. Her fear of Redo is gone. She simply grabs the next one eager to listen. "I want to be with her. I'm feeling better. The ugliness leaves…. It flares up randomly. Every little thing she does… Vexes me. I love her and I hate this feeling. I want time away. Time I don't think she's willing to give me. I met a new femme today. She was with her friends. She's different from Silverstream. At least that's the persona I was given. I knew this would upset her letting them into my chambers to rest. I wasn't going to be rude for Silverstream's sake after what she's done. They were kind and very charming. If they don't see any ugliness maybe there isn't any. Oddly enough I ran into this femme many times. Her hello's were bright and they always reminded me of what she said. "A femme isn't always perfect even if they are a spark mate." I held onto these words with Silverstream in mind. Every time I spoke to her the ugliness in my spark left me. I could be good to Silverstream, the matrix knows I want to. I can tell she adores me but I can't return the feelings. My spark belongs to Silverstream and if I can remove my ugliness for her I can live in bliss again. I want to let her go but the Decepticon bots are cruel. I would never let her get hurt by them. I'm so unhappy. I just wish things were different. I don't wish I could go back in time… I wish I wasn't so frail. I'm afraid of rejection, failure, and letting people down. I go into battle with fear. I've never seen fear when she goes into battle. I'm ugly and a coward. I'm no good for her. I've been lying to her. Pointless lies. It seems every time the ugliness is banished it simply returns again. I will hold onto her for as long as she's willing to stay. Soon she'll decide to leave me. I can be at peace once she doesn't take me back. My spark aches for that day. As much as I'd like to find a new spark mate I know my energies are spent. There is hope… I do hope to one day share what I shared with Silverstream. I can't imagine that possible. I was met with hurt and hardships before Silverstream I can deal with it after…. There she is now. Her voice is music to my audio receptors. I just hope my ugly side doesn't show. Selfish, childish, and rash. I hate myself more than I hate her deception." Juno sits in silence. She stares unmoving. She says nothing as she grabs the final recording. "It's finally over. She is gone. I feel at peace that she doesn't have to deal with me anymore. Autobot…. Decepticon…. Who cares. Silverstream is free. She can finally be happy. I hate to say it and I can't tell if it's my ugliness or if it's my cocky attitude… but… I don't think she will find better anytime soon. I'm a bot… I know bot secrets… It's hard to stay bonded to just one femme. It's funny… You'd think they would be more careful. Not many femmes left after the fall of Cybertron. She's blocked all communication from me. A part of me is glad. She can finally be happy. I can't wash away this shame and disgust from my spark. I need to accept what I've done and who I became in order to grow. I come to this silly mountain everyday hoping to see her. I stare at the sky because I know it is the same sky she is looking up into. Cybertron is out there… Where it all began." the message ends. "If…. If he recorded this on another planet…. Then… How did these messages end up here?" Perplexed she returned to bed.

The next morning she wakes up to silence. No Redo tinkering away at his work. She walks to his studies. His body lays there motionlessly hunched over on his desk. She walks over to see his optics un moving and un flickering. "Redo…" her eyes water. In his hands is another audio recording. It's unfinished. Redo's life work will not be completed. She grabs her lover and walks him to her girth. She finally lies with him holding his dead body. Sorrow overwhelms her. She looks at the recordings. "These blasted things ruined us…. They ruined him…" She throws it across the room. It hits the ground and this time a holo-image appears. Hotstreak stands, his image flickering. "The war is finally over. We have won. We can finally start to rebuild on Cybertron. There is nothing for me here. I have returned to the only place I can… Where it all started. Where we first bonded. I can feel at peace here. My cycle truly began here… and it will end here. I can feel her warmth as she purifies my ugliness. I am ready for the allspark to take me when it is ready." the hologram turns off.

Juno walks away from Redo's grave. Her lips unmoving and her eyes still. She sits in Redo's study absorbing the surroundings. She falls into slumber. When she awakens she gets up to leave. In the corner of her eye something catches her gaze. She walks over to them. Purple recording devices are sitting in order on the shelf much like the recording's from Hotstreak. She turns it on to listen. The recording crackles and turns on. "I've been changed today. My spark.. Is different. It's all because of that Autobot who calls himself Hotstreak…" The message ends abruptly as the coding has not been altered. Juno realizes what needs to be done. The messages of the other love needs to be recoded. Juno diligently works without rest. Cycles upon cycles are used to recode the audio devices. She doesn't rest, she doesn't stop.


End file.
